As part of Colgate’s 2021 online celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, the Mosaic initiative will present Bonnie St. John, paralympic skier and founder of the professional training and coaching firm Blue Circle Leadership on Monday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. St. John will speak about “Courageous Humility: Leading with Resilience in These Challenging Times.” The first African-American ever to win medals in Winter Olympic competition, St. John took home a silver and two bronze medals at the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
A Harvard honors graduate and Rhodes Scholar, St. John earned numerous sales awards at IBM, and was appointed by President Bill Clinton as a director of the White House National Economic Council. President Obama named her to represent the U.S. in delegations to both the Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver and the Summer Paralympics in Rio. She holds several honorary doctorates, and was recently lauded with her portrait in the main hall of Trinity College, Oxford, as a distinguished alumna.
Regine Cooper ’19, a former varsity athlete, and Maggie Aulman ’23, a member of Colgate’s ski team, will co-moderate a discussion with St. John.
NBC Nightly News called St. John “One of the five most inspiring women in America.” She has been featured extensively in both national and international media including the Today Show, GMA, CNN, CBS Morning News, NBC News, PBS, NPR, and the New York Times, as well as People, “O,” Forbes, Success, and Essence magazines.
St. John’s appearance is made possible by a generous gift to the President’s Discretionary Fund from Gio ’94 and Maree Cutaia in support of Mosaic programs.
Panel Discussions and Alumni-Student Mixers
Alumni are offering their knowledge, wisdom, and experience to students in several ways during the MLK Week program. Alumni are welcome to register for two panel discussions and to take part in three mixers.
After each discussion, alumni and students can join virtual mixers — opportunities to interact informally and share thoughts about the previous discussion.
Tuesday, Feb. 2
7:00 p.m. EDT — “Faith and hope during the triple pandemic”
- Adam Clark ’91, Associate Professor of Theology, Xavier University
- Tracey Hucks ’87, MA ’90, Provost and Dean of the Faculty, and James A. Storing Professor of Religion and Africana and Latin American Studies at Colgate
- Rev. Dr. Rodney Mason, Jr. Pastor of Discipleship and Assimilation at Berean Christian Church and Adjunct Professor of Theology at South University
- Professor Harvey Sindima, Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Colgate University
- Dianne Stewart ’90, Associate Professor of Religion and African American Studies at Emory University
8 – 8:45 p.m. EDT — Alumni and Student Mixer
Wednesday, Feb. 3
7:00 p.m. — “Academic achievement gap in BIPOC communities: Implications for social and academic success in the 21st century”
- Derrick Darby ’88, Professor of Philosophy, the University of Michigan
- Nicol Turner Lee ’90, Sr. Fellow and Director of Technology, Brookings Institution
- Alvin Glymph ’91, Director of Grants and Partnerships Development, DeKalb County School District (Ga.)
- Denniston Reid ’94, University Trustee; Chief of Schools and Innovation, Excellence Community Schools
- Winsome Rhudd ’88, Educator and Private Practice Attorney
8 – 8:45 p.m. EDT — Alumni and Student Mixer
Friday, Feb. 5
5:30 p.m. — Concluding Social
Read About the Full Program
You can read about the full MLK Week online celebration events, including keynote speaker Angela Davis on Thursday, Feb. 4, at Colgate to Hold MLK Week Celebration Online in 2021.