“As I pass along my living shall not be in vain…” The Reverend Doctor Jamie Washington sang as he walked on stage.
Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington presented on living the legacy on Jan. 18 for Colorado College’s Block 5 edition of First Monday in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Rev. Washington is the president and founder of the Washington Consulting Group, which is a multicultural organizational development firm. He is also the president and founder of the Social Justice Training Institute.
“Lots of the folks that came here today will take this beautiful program, sit it on their desk, and let people know they were there and that’s the end of the work,” said Washington.
Rev. Washington sees himself as an instrument of change and hopes to help create liberty and justice for all. Washington emphasized that he wanted the audience to do more than listen during the First Monday presentation, but to also be engaged in the conversation.
Rev. Washington asked the audience to think about what their role is in living in Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
He asked the audience to sit with someone new and discuss, what does MLK day mean to you? On the 30th anniversary of this holiday, how far have we come, and how far do we need to go?
“I want your voice in the conversation,” said Washington.
Celia O’Brien, sophomore, was a member of the audience and discussed these questions with her partner.
“For a lot of people it has become a three-day weekend, but I think of it more as a time to reflect on the Civil Rights era and how far we have come and need to go,” said O’Brien. “I think this needs to be an ongoing conversation, instead of one day of the year where we think and talk about this. We need to be talking about these issues constantly because they are still very relevant.”
The charismatic Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington pushed the audience to think thoughtfully about the day, but to also continue the conversation throughout the rest of the year. He engaged the audience in MLK’s legacy and encouraged them to take responsibility for the role each individual plays.
Washington explained that the important aspects of living the legacy are possessing an awareness of self, an awareness of others, courageous action, and collaboration. Through these actions, Washington believes we can all be honoring and continuing Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work and move closer to liberty and justice for all.