Each year, Edmonds Community College celebrates the life, work, and message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The celebration brings the community together through dance, music, and inspirational speakers to encourage growth as culturally competent citizens with understanding and respect for our changing community.
2019 MLK Celebration
Michael Benitez, Ph.D., is a nationally-acclaimed activist-scholar, practitioner, and educator, with extensive experience in diversity issues in higher education. He is known for his down-to-earth, insightful commentary and critical perspectives on social and cultural issues including social justice education, equity and inclusion, diversity and multiculturalism, intercultural development, identity formation, race and ethnic relations, knowledge representation and production, youth and leadership development, student success, and critical pedagogy and praxis.
A highly sought out speaker and workshop leader at colleges and conferences nationwide, he has also authored book chapters and articles on student identity, hip-hop culture, cultural centers, cultural and ethnic studies, institutional research and campus climates, and supporting the faculty of color.
Benitez has been featured in educational documentaries, such as “Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity” (2012), and has appeared on talk shows such as Worlds Apart and Hard Knock Radio.
Part of his success lies in his ability to speak heart-to-heart while bridging theory and scholarly inquiry with everyday life, his use of accessible language that multiple audiences can relate to while providing multi-context and -issue frameworks for empowerment and transformation.
In previous roles, Dr. Benitez has served as Director of Intercultural Development and the Black Cultural Center at Lafayette College, as adjunct faculty in the Graduate School of Leadership and Professional Advancement at Duquesne University, and as Director of Intercultural Engagement and Leadership at Grinnell College. Informed partly by his poetry and love for spoken word, and as Director of Diversity Initiatives and Social Justice at Dickinson College, Dr. Benitez established the Diversity Monologues, an ongoing annual program aimed at highlighting the creative talents of students while addressing diversity and social justice – a program he has helped implement and shape at multiple institutions.
Dr. Benitez completed both his B.S. and M.Ed. at the Pennsylvania State University, where he helped revive and strengthen the University’s College Assistance Migrant Program, and holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from Iowa State University School of Education, where he helped revamp the curriculum for Iowa State’s Conference on Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE). Throughout his career, he has been recognized with several leadership awards.
Join us on MLK Day
2019 Schedule
Every year we aim to create tangible change in our community! This year we are backing I-1000 which would redefine affirmative action in Washington, providing equal opportunities through recruitment, hiring, outreach, training, goal-setting and other methods designed to increase diversity.
Join a diverse and dynamic collective of Seattle-are writers of African de- scent. This forum provides an informal and supportive venue for new and published writers. Meets every second Monday of the month!
Presenting the accomplishments of the last year as well as the vision, opportunities, and challenges facing the African American And African Diaspora community
Don’t miss this informative meeting of dedicated and concerned individuals and organizations committed to making a difference in the education of Black youth.
Embassy Suites
Tenants and advocates will be at Kent Municipal Courthouse Friday morning standing in solidarity with tenants of a South King County trailer park (half of the park is in Auburn and half is in Pacific) who are facing eviction notices for not paying rent for a park that is on the verge of being condemned.
King County Metro was named the best large transit system in North America by the nation’s leading public transit advocacy organization, citing achievements in ridership, safety, access, customer service, financial management, commitment to equity, and sustainability.
King County continued to work with partners to respond to the region’s homelessness crises, increasing access to emergency shelter with on-site services, offering more housing, and lowering the barrier to effective treatment. Executive Constantine also united the efforts of cities, business leaders, service providers, and philanthropies to address the root causes of homelessness.
Executive Constantine announced the completed report, Road Map to Zero Youth Detention – a strategic plan to guide future investments and policies to support families and further reduce the number of young people involved in the legal system. In the 2019-2020 budget, he included funding to help expand solutions to improve community safety and help young people thrive.
The King County Council approved a plan by Executive Constantine to protect thousands of acres of forests, farmlands and shorelines. The action is part of the Executive’s effort to save King County’s most at-risk open space before development reshapes what makes this region great.
In a major victory to King County, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services illegally terminated an education grant that studies the effectiveness of a promising sexual health education grant created by Public Health — Seattle & King County.
Executive Constantine included funding in King County’s budget to expand a successful law enforcement diversion program in Burien and two other cities in South King County, connecting more people to community-based care instead of incarceration.
Executive Constantine convened a community-led effort by local governments, nonprofits, and philanthropies to ensure a complete, accurate 2020 Census. King County is convening the effort sooner than it has in the past after the Trump administration announced it will add a citizenship question to the next Census, which could cause a substantial undercount that would result in a loss of federal and state funding and other impacts.
Executive Constantine signed legislation to create an Immigrant and Refugee Commission, a permanent body committed to upholding King County’s commitment to being a welcoming county and to integrate, strengthen, and value immigrant and refugee communities.
Executive Constantine announced nearly $3.5 million in funding for 38 organizations serving older adults throughout King County. The one-time investments will help senior centers, community centers, and organizations serving older adults expand programs to reach more local seniors, make their facilities safer and more accessible, and purchase equipment and appliances.
A wide range of support services for expectant mothers, parents, and caregivers – funded by Executive Constantine’s Best Starts for Kids initiative – are increasing parents’ knowledge and confidence, strengthening parent-child bonding, and improving school readiness throughout King County.
Executive Constantine honored the winners of the first King County Performance Excellence Awards, thanking them for helping achieve our ambitious goal of building the nation’s Best Run Government.
Hikers boarded Trailhead Direct for more than 10,000 round trips during the first full season of the transit-to-trails service, increasing the number of people who explored King County’s mountain forests without having to drive or park.
Regional Animal Services of King County – which has dramatically increased the pet-save rate in recent years – increased pet adoptions by a record-setting 20 percent last year, delivering on Executive Constantine’s commitment to transform humane animal care.