Messiah honors MLK Day

In honor of the life and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr., 73 Messiah students gathered to serve the Harrisburg area for MLK Community Engagement Day Jan. 20.

Students traveled to Commonwealth Charter Academy in Harrisburg for the 11th annual Central Pennsylvania Martin Luther King Day of Service. The event welcomed community members to participate in drawing cards for children in hospitals, making blankets for the homeless and learning how to become advocates in their own communities.

Emoni Taylor ’21, a peace and conflict studies major who participated, said, “It was amazing to see the ways different community organizations came together for the greater good.”

Ashley Sheaffer, director of the Agapé Center for Service and Learning, said, “Learning the stories of our neighbors breaks our own biases, helps us to build bridges of understanding and hopefully leads us to contribute to the lives of others. Loving our neighbors is an everyday thing, yes, but it also requires intentional—and sometimes uncomfortable—efforts to enhance the dignity of all of our neighbors.”

— Jake Miaczynski ’20