Pursuing the Beloved Community

The role of education in building a society in which all people are respected, cared for, and treated as equals will be the theme of this year’s MLK Legacy Celebration keynote address at Wheaton College on Tuesday, Feb. 10. 

The talk “Education for Liberation: Pursuing the Beloved Community,” will be delivered by Wheaton alumnus Derron O. Wallace ’07, an award-winning sociologist, educational policy analyst and writer and an Associate Professor of Education Policy and Africana Studies at Brown University. 

The event, which will begin at 5 p.m. in Hindle Auditorium, is open to all members of the Wheaton community. 

Dr. Wallace’s research, teaching, and public advocacy focus on the dynamics of, and the solutions to, racial, ethnic and educational inequality, nationally and internationally. He is the author of the widely celebrated book, The Culture Trap: Ethnic Expectations and Unequal Schooling for Black Youth (Oxford University Press). 

The Culture Trap received a dozen awards and finalist distinctions, including the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Outstanding Book Award from the Association of Black Sociologists, the Pierre Bourdieu Award for the Best Book in Sociology of Education, the Oliver Cromwell Cox Book Award for Anti-Racist Scholarship, and Honorable Mention for Best Book in the Sociology of Children and Youth from the American Sociological Association.

In addition to his work at Brown, Wallace currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Education Association Foundation. He has received seven distinguished early career awards from various sections of the American Sociological Association, the American Educational Research Association and the Comparative and International Education Society. 

Wallace studied at Wheaton as a Posse Scholar, and graduated with highest honors with a double major in Sociology and African Diaspora Studies. He completed his M.Phil. and Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, where he was a Marshall Scholar and a Gates Cambridge Scholar.

A former community organizer, Wallace’s work on youth safety, immigrant rights, fair housing, and public education has been featured by BBC News, BBC Radio, the Guardian, ITV, and NBC News.

Student Creativity Showcase

The MLK Legacy Celebration will showcase student creativity in reflecting on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s principles of equity, justice, and peace. Submissions may draw from Dr. King’s philosophy or respond to current issues in social justice.

Students are invited to create an original piece in any form—written reflection (poetry, fiction, narrative, blog), dramatic monologue or dialogue, spoken word, visual art (photo, painting, sculpture, dance), or music/song. All submissions will be displayed at our Creativity Showcase in February as part of our MLK Legacy program. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, Feb. 3 by 5 p.m.

A group of staff  from the Marshall Center at the Base will select the top creative arts submissions, awarding $300 for first place, $200 for second, and $150 for third, based on creativity, relevance, and clarity.

Student winners will be announced and their work will be shared as part of the MLK Legacy Celebration program.