Eric Zuniga, Campus Carrier deputy news editor

The Berry community kicked off the Office of Diversity and Belonging’s first Be Love Week on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Cultural Events, communal gatherings and service projects. 

This week’s events stem partly from Berry’s deepening partnership with the King Center and collaboration between the Office of Diversity and Belonging, Berry College Volunteer Services (BCVS), the Bonner program and athletics. According to Chief Diversity Officer Haley Smith, Be Love Week is intended to spur meaningful action in the local community. 

“We talked a lot about good neighbor culture over the past few years,” Smith said. “But I think that if all we do is talk, we’re kind of missing the point. Part of what we are trying to get to is how are we treating our neighbor, how are we mobilizing all of this.”

A speech by former college football player and motivational speaker Inky Johnson in College Chapel on Monday kicked off the week’s events. Smith said Johnson was chosen for his message of the importance of community and his experience as a student athlete. 

“A part of what he talks about is that one of the biggest things we have for ourselves, no matter our circumstances, is our heart—how do we take care of our heart and how do we care about others,” Smith said. “He’s also been a great example to our student athletes here in how he’s leaned on community when things have been tough for him.”

Johnson played football for the University of Tennessee for three seasons before sustaining a career-ending injury during his junior year. In his speech before a nearly full chapel, he spoke about the challenges he faced growing up in a poor family in Atlanta and the support he received from mentors like his youth football coach. He encouraged the audience to heed Martin Luther King Jr.’s urging to service. 

“Let’s not just talk about it; let’s not just read the quotes,” Johnson said. “Let’s really go out and really serve and really make a difference in the lives of people that we’re connected to and people that we come across.”

Assistant Dean of Students Meredith Johnson led a community conversation and lunch immediately after Johnson’s speech. Smith said this event was intended to let students learn how to have respectful conversations about difficult topics. 

“It’s easier to get to know people and understand people over a meal,” Smith said. “A lot of times when we don’t like each other, it’s generally because we don’t really know each other or understand each other. Really, it’s just kind of an effort of practice.”

Senior Allie Herbert, who is the student director of the Intercultural Center, said the community lunch gives students an opportunity to understand the experiences of others they may not have otherwise met. 

“They’ll have different question prompts that come up on the screen,” Herbert said. “I like it because each person has their own time to talk and share about that and you can be as vulnerable or not vulnerable as you want to.”

As a part of Be Love Week, BCVS partnered with numerous local organizations to provide service opportunities for students throughout the week. Though BCVS has regularly held service days on the MLK holiday, this is the first time the group has planned a week’s worth of service opportunities. 

“[BCVS] actually became a part of [the Office of Diversity and Belonging] this past semester, so we’ve just been trying to think of ways we can incorporate service with being a good neighbor,” said Addison Cook, junior and BCVS student director.

According to Cook, BCVS has partnered with 14 different organizations in Rome, including traditional partners like nursing homes and the Davies Homeless Shelters. The office also coordinated cleanup projects at historically neglected African American cemeteries and readings for public school students in Rome. 

“[Cemeteries] bring in a part of history, especially African American history here in Rome,” Cook said. “We’ve never worked with public schools before in any capacity, which is interesting. But I think we’ve got readers to go in and read about nonviolence and speaking with love or acting with love.”

Cook said that all of the partners share a commitment to diversity.

“Our partners are specifically interested not just in having volunteers, but they’re interested in incorporating diversity into their organization,” Cook said. “Because they serve diverse people of our community, we really focus on partners that felt drawn to be part of this week, which I think is really special.”

BCVS received more volunteers for this event than it ever has before, with over 200 students participating. Cook hoped that volunteers will walk away with a desire to serve in the future and a deeper understanding of the Rome community.

“I think when you drive around in Rome, it’s very different when you’re able to interact with a lot of the people that live there,” Cook said. “I understand a bit of what it would be like almost in the real world. Being an adult and being able to live in these places and [see] how, like, food insecurity and homelessness, how that works in your own community.”

The Office of Diversity and Belonging also planned CE credits throughout the week. The documentary “Black Barbie” will be shown this evening in the Intercultural Center in one of its last private screenings before its upcoming debut on Netflix. 

Numerous Berry faculty and staff also participated in a virtual global summit held by the King Center last week. 

“That one is probably more for staff and faculty who are just learning things about how to lead and how to implement a lot of the things we’ve been talking about last year,” Smith said. “I’m excited to see so many leaders on our campus in that space and engaging with that.”

Looking beyond Be Love Week, the Office of Diversity and Belonging will be prioritizing supporting students affected by the war in Gaza in collaboration with the Counseling Center, according to Smith. With strife abroad and the upcoming presidential election, Smith stressed the importance of fostering an inclusive culture on campus. 

“We need to be practicing these things on a consistent basis, because, yes, in the fall, I imagine we’re going to be in a more contentious place as a society,” Smith said.