Southwestern Michigan College’s Dr. Martin Luther King Day speaker, Claudia Allen of Georgetown University, speaks on “The Father of a Global Culture of Non-Violent Resistance” at 12:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus.

Allen, whose talk is open to the public, said her King presentation seeks to illuminate the non-violent resistance ideology and how his innovative approach, though initiated by the philosophies of Jesus Christ and Gandhi, sparked a protest culture of such things as marches, boycotts and sit-ins.

This protest culture has been replicated across the world.

“I seek to assert that the non-violent protest actions of various people groups in South Africa, Asia and North America from the 1980s to the present is a result of the non-violent protest culture initiated by Dr. King,” Allen said. “As his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and the desire for integration is focused on, I believe Dr. King’s overall legacy has been undervalued. It is my hope that in looking at the global effect of Dr. King’s lectures, literature and legacy that people may come to a greater appreciation of his influence and better understand why he is deserving of an annual day of recognition.”

Allen completed her bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in literature and a minor in leadership from Andrews University in Berrien Springs.

In fulfillment of her minor in leadership, she created an African American Studies minor approved to be housed out of the Andrews History Department for her Change Project.

She titled this project “Why We Can’t Wait,” based on King’s book.

The project solidified Allen’s passion for and interest in African American studies and literature.

She received the Michigan Campus Compact Heart and Soul Award for dedicated time, effort and personal commitment to the community through service.

She matriculated to Georgetown, where she is a second-year master’s student in the Department of English, specializing in African American literature.

She anticipates graduation in May and continues to work on her thesis.

Dedicated to the intertextuality of religious sacred text and African American literature, Allen’s thesis looks at the role of the Bible in the construction of all-black towns and African American literature published post-Reconstruction.

She presented this research at Oakwood University for the Association of Black Adventist Religion Scholars Conference in December and looks forward to presenting at Vanderbilt University for the Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion Conference in March.