Iowa Wesleyan is once again to proud to offer its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Service. As a reminder, there will be no classes on this day in observance of MLK Day and the event this year will be at 7:00pm on Monday, January 17th in the Chapel. This year there will be readings from four of students about their favorite MLK quotes, a praise team led by student Clayton Henriksen, a powerful message by a guest speaker, outstanding selections by the IW Music Program, video presentations and closing song with Professor Donna Debose. The special guest speaker will be Abena Sankofa Imhotep, Director of the Sankofa Literary & Empowerment Group located in Des Moines, Iowa.
She is a writer, public speaker, and active advocate with more than a decade of experience educating on cultural competency and cultivating authentic community inclusion. She has published numerous articles on society ills, curator of counter-storytelling projects and performance art, and facilitator of public conversations on racism and intersectionality.
Ms. Imhotep is a member of the inaugural class of the John Dee Bright College at Drake University and is currently working towards her BA in International Relations with a minor in Sociology.
She is presently a moderator and facilitator for the Department of Equity and Human Rights for the City of Iowa City where she moderated the 60th-anniversary commemoration of the Freedom Rides of 1961 and facilitated a quarterly book club around African American literature. She is also an instructor at the Gateway Dance Theatre in Des Moines as a Humanities expert for multicultural community programs; vocal music instructor for the SASI Wind Camp; and virtual instructor for poetry and spoken word. She is also a facilitator with the Broadlawns Medical Center TEACH/TECH Program in Des Moines giving empowerment seminars to numerous cohorts of certified nursing students and providing mentorship, professional references, and literary resources. She has also served on the Dean’s Advisory Council at Drake University Bright College and on the Donald V. Adams Leadership Institute at Drake University.