Fifty-one years have passed since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but communities across the country continue to honor his vision of equality, justice, and activism with a day of remembrance and action. Last month, PAH’s Cultural and Community Awareness Council (CCAC) organized the hospital’s annual MLK Day Celebration, with this year’s program centered on “unity vs. division.” Staff and members of the local community came together in the Zubrow Auditorium to enjoy an afternoon of reflection, music, and hope in the face of personal and political challenges.
Labor and Delivery nurse Jessica Strauss, BSN, RN, RNC-OB, was this year’s emcee and opened the program by inviting Christine Tierney, RN, MSN, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CHCR, Chief Human Resources Officer to the stage. She noted that while it’s easy to feel like the world is more divisive than ever, PAH staff continue to come together and “represent the very best of Penn Medicine and honor Dr. King’s legacy all day, every day” through their commitment to their patients and local communities. Keynote speaker, Rev. Charles L. Howard, PhD, chaplain for the University of Pennsylvania, continued on this theme.
“Unity is more than being friends or being polite and civil. Unity is crying each other’s tears. It’s caring more — particularly when it’s not your issue. More than caring, more than having compassion, it’s loving someone who’s hard to love,” he said. “It’s not easy. It’s one thing to love people who are different, and it’s another thing to love people who are diametrically opposed to you. But no one is too small, too broke, or ‘not important enough’ to do this. Because if you’re not doing it, you’re not celebrating Dr. King. [The holiday] is more than just community service or being ‘nice’ on the day. It’s about getting your skin in the game and building a beloved community.”
Staff and community members also shared their talents throughout the program. The local Intercessory Praise Dance Ministry of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church performed an inspirational praise dance, while 4 Widener patient care technician Jamillah Muhammad gave a powerful original spoken word performance. Tyrone Foster, a patient care technician on 5 Cathcart, performed an impassioned rendition of “My Soul Has Been Anchored” with keyboard accompaniment, and after her vocal performance brought down the house last year, anesthesia technician Tracey King also returned to the stage to sing “My Tribute (To God Be the Glory).”
“Thank you for another wonderful year celebrating the life of Dr. King. I had all my thoughts on paper, but when you start filling my spirit, I’m just gone!” said Bonita Ball, MSN RN, NE-BC, CCRN-K, nurse manager of 4 Widener and CCAC executive sponsor in her closing comments. “Everything you’ve heard from our performers today was about service and love, and I hope that we have planted that seed in you. And so I leave you with one question: How are you serving, and who are you serving today?”