Dear Members of the Campus Community,

Wherever tomorrow finds you, I hope that your thoughts and energies are focused on the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as our nation celebrates the life of one of the most truly transformative individuals of our time.

Even as I write that, I am aware that for most if not all of our students, Dr. King’s life came to a violent end well before your lives began. For other members of our community, Dr. King’s story unfolded in real time. For me, that story began most vividly when my aunt returned home from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963, where she heard Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. It is one of my earliest and most profound memories, and has shaped my life in every conceivable way.

One of the great gifts of being a member of an intergenerational community—such as within your family or here on the campus of Puget Sound—is the ability to experience history firsthand from our elders, while simultaneously glimpsing the future through the perspective of new generations. In this way, our work is always changing, growing, and in the words of Dr. King, bending toward justice.

We keep Dr. King’s legacy alive by working together to bring his dream to fruition, and by passing the torch from generation to generation to secure, protect and advance the fundamental human rights to which we all are entitled.

His work—our work—centers on creating a truly just and equitable society in which all are heard, seen, respected and valued. There is no single way to go about this work, and there is no single person who can bring it to fruition alone. By harnessing the creativity, courage and commitment of this community, we can make our own campus a beacon of inclusivity that we seek to see reflected in the world around us.

I invite us all to come together in community and renew our resolve to making this dream a reality. Please plan to join us virtually on Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 6:30 p.m. for Puget Sound’s 36th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. This first event of the spring semester honors the contributions of local civil rights leader Nettie J. Asberry, one of the founding members of Tacoma’s NAACP, and includes the presentation of Puget Sound’s annual Living the Dream Award. I’d like to thank Director for Intercultural Engagement Vivie Nguyen in the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity for putting this program together for us, as well as the many members of our community who will participate in the event, including remarks by Jessica Stella ’08 of the Black Alumni Union, and Black Student Union President Kellen Hagans ’24.

With appreciation for each of you and the values we share as a community,

Isiaah
Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D. | President