University Co-sponsors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Dr. John Amaechi

Psychologist, international speaker and bestselling author Dr. John Amaechi, OBE gave a talk in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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The University, along with several other area sponsors, presented a free live webinar given by psychologist, international speaker and bestselling author Dr. John Amaechi, OBE on Jan. 18, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Hosted by The Greater Scranton MLK Commission, the event was titled “The Unarmed Truth: A Conversation with Dr. John Amaechi,” and delved into unarmed truth in an effort to inspire and move the community toward equitable justice and unconditional love.

This theme was conveyed by Dr. King in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 10, 1964. 

“I cannot possibly live up to a celebration of Dr. King, but we can if we decide that his ideals are worth some personal inconvenience,” Dr. Amaechi said. “Right now, the unarmed truth and unconditional love can seem a challenge. To have audacious faith in anything seems nearly impossible. But, I think there are things we can do.”

Throughout his presentation, Dr. Amaechi, a Penn State graduate who went on to become the first Briton to become a professional player in the NBA, talked the audience through his own experiences and lessons he learned along the way. He also said that events of the past year (the George Floyd murder and attack on the U.S. Capital, for example) should encourage people to speak up.

“MLK said in the end, ‘We will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends,’” Dr. Amaechi said. “Acknowledging the silence of your friends is to encourage the people around you to stand in the way of truth. I encourage people to stand and speak, or at least, make their position known always. That is the very least that any of us can do.”

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