Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
The university began its annual tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. last week. There are a number of speakers and activities that commemorate the life and work of Dr. King and encourage the continuation of his work to build an open and affirming diverse community in which all thrive and succeed. I hope you will join me in participating in these events; Now Is the Time invites us all — students, faculty and staff — to engage in conversation to build a better UNH.
The series’ featured speaker, Leah Penniman, is founding co-director of Soul Fire Farm and author of "Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation of the Land." Soul Fire Farm is committed to ending racism and injustice within our food system. She will speak Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. in the MUB Granite State Room.
The series includes a variety of opportunities to advance equity and inclusion efforts at UNH. Thank you for your work to help us create an environment characterized by openness, fairness and equal access for all students, staff and faculty.
I also want to recommend a book by UNH history professor Jason Sokol: "The Heavens May Crack: The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr." It is great to see a member of our academic community doing academic scholarship on Dr. King. The book was published early this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination.
James W. Dean Jr.
UNH President
