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By Rama K. Ramaswamy
The 17th annual World of Wellesley MLK Breakfast was called “a huge success” by attendees, who were estimated at over 100. Among this year’s highlights were keynote speaker Chuck Collins, the Harvard College Kuumba Singers, and an announcement by WOW President, Michelle Chalmers, that the non-profit organization intends to roll out a new campaign called “Wellesley Welcomes” in the Spring.
Wellesley College hosted the WOW 2017 MLK Breakfast event. Its representatives welcomed the growing crowd and its Associate Provost (and Academic Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and Lecturer of Education), Robbin Chapman, who stayed for the duration of the program. After which, Chapman later chatted with Wellesley community leaders, local students and residents. Representatives and members of Wellesley ABC, Wellesley METCO, Mothers Forum (WMF) and the Juniors (WHJWC) were all also in attendance.
When asked what participants found most memorable or striking, over 10 people agreed upon comments made by the keynote speaker, wherein Collins said: “We are living in a period of extraordinary inequality.” His narrative was termed “rare” as he spoke about how he “gave away” his inheritance by the age of 26 and has since led a life of fighting economic inequity.
Collins also spoke about how he felt that the wealth gap is widening, “destroying our democracy, and we are heading towards economic apartheid.”
Several attendees agreed that they did not know that “there are 20 people in this country who have more wealth than all the black people in America; that 20 people have more wealth than 14 million people.” Collins encouraged more people to “talk about it - wealth inequality hurts all of us, and the way to change it is to talk about it, share stories and we can will find solutions for economic injustice.”
The Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life (WC), Tiffany Steinwert, asked attendees to use yellow sticky notes to pen “any one action against inequality.” She instructed posting these notes on the community resolutions board on their way out of the event; one Post-It read: “write about this event on our website.” Another read: “be a leader.”
WoW President Michelle Chalmers reminded participants that it “sure does take a village,” before bringing up upcoming, must-see events. Among those that she mentioned were “Conversation on Race” (February 9 at 7 p.m. at WHS), in collaboration with the Wellesley METCO and its 50th Anniversary Celebration Committee.
