Interview with MLK Learners

(l-r) Ray Jordan, Angela Walker, Jenny Laster, and Clyde Posley Jr.

Angela Walker
For Angela Walker, her work as a pastor and her studies as a learner in UI&U’s MLK specialization are very much intertwined. When she first enrolled in the UI&U doctoral program, Angela was pastoring a church in Huntington, WV. She was very much aware of the strong correlation between the mission and vision of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and her efforts in the church.

“People think that social justice and ministry are separate from one another, but they are not,” said the 35-year-old West Virginia native, who now pastors the Bethel-AME Church in Oxford, Ohio. “When I am developing a sermon, I must think about my congregation and the challenges my community is facing. I cannot ask people to come to church and break bread with me when they have none – when they are physically hungry.”

Although Angela was finishing her doctorate degree in education at the time she discovered the MLK specialization, she made the decision to enroll in her second doctoral program and began her studies at UI&U in July 2009. “The program addresses all of the components of Dr. King’s work: spirituality, economy, and his vision for a global community,” said Reverend Walker.

She has been inspired by her professors and colleagues in the program. “We have such varied experiences, and it lends to the richness of the program,” she said. “So far, it’s been a wonderful, challenging, and rewarding experience.”

Jenny Laster
As a child in the 1940s and 50s, growing up just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, Jenny Laster witnessed the civil rights movement and was among the many who witnessed the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s leadership in action. Today, the MLK specialization learner is learning about Dr. King’s work with professors, including the Reverend. Dr. Virgil Wood, one of Dr. King’s colleagues who organized the civil rights movement in the state of Virginia.

“I was very impressed with the faculty,” said Jenny, talking about what drew her to the MLK specialization. “I’ve always found Dr. King’s work to be fascinating and wanted to explore it further. When I heard about Union’s MLK program, I knew it was something that would benefit me and so many others who want to study his work and apply it in the world today.”

Jenny spent decades directing leadership and development programs at Cincinnati-area non-profit organizations. Now 70, she decided to pursue her Ph.D. not so much for career advancement, but for her own personal satisfaction. “This is significant for me. I’m pursuing a degree based on what I enjoy,” said Jenny, who recently came out of retirement to head up the Urban League of Cincinnati’s African-American Leadership Development Program. “By becoming a King scholar, I will be able to share what I have learned with others, as well as formalize my study of the work of Dr. King. To become a true MLK scholar means that I can inspire others to make his mission and vision a reality, for there is much work that remains to be done.”

Sharon Jenkins
MLK specialization learner Sharon Jenkins believes that children hold the key to keeping Dr. King’s dream alive.

“Children are like sponges – they take in and retain information so easily. It is imperative that they recognize the importance of Martin Luther King and his impact,” said Sharon. “Union’s program is equipping me to become a storyteller for the next generation.”

In addition to pursuing her doctoral studies at Union, Sharon also runs the Houston-area non-profit organization Angelle’s Project, which provides assistance to formerly incarcerated people as they reenter the workplace. “The application of Dr. King’s work has been delayed, but it has not been forgotten,” said Sharon. “His philosophy, which embraces all people including the poor and impoverished, must be applied today for real change.”

Ray Jordan
When Ray Jordan was seeking a Ph.D. program that would allow him to fuse his myriad interests and diverse background – including graduate degrees in education and theology – he looked no further once he discovered Union’s Cohort Ph.D. program and the MLK specialization.

“I liked that the program combines theory and practice and caters to the individual learner, said Ray, a Dallas-based consultant and mediation specialist. Ray works as the membership director of the North Texas Business for Culture and the Arts, a strategic bridge that brings the arts and businesses together. He also teaches world religions and organizes an annual trip to the south for political science and religion students at Southern Methodist University.

Bishop Clyde Posley Jr.
The opportunity to learn from civil rights leaders, including the Reverend Dr. Virgil Wood, is invaluable to Bishop Clyde Posley, himself a pastor at three churches in Indianapolis.

“There is such a wealth of knowledge here,” said Clyde, looking around at his fellow colleagues at the recent Cohort residency, which took place this past January in Cincinnati. “It is an honor to work with leaders like Reverend. Wood.”

In addition to his work at three churches, Bishop Posley is also taking Dr. King’s message to those who are unable to attend traditional services, through his creation of the Antioch Christian Cyber Church. “This program is preparing me to implement Dr. King’s vision in my own work and in my community.”