St. Olaf honors and celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
In commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, St. Olaf College will host a food justice event on Tuesday, January 20, featuring a panel of activists from Minneapolis Climate Action, the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, and Sharing Our Roots.
J. Devon Nolen, Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, and Alissa Jacobsen will present on their organizations’ efforts to promote food justice — the movement to recognize healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food as a human right. Their work includes dismantling the systemic barriers marginalized populations encounter when attempting to access equitable nutrition options, and transforming established food systems to be sustainable for all parties. The event, which will be held from 4:30–6 p.m. in the King’s Dining Room in Buntrock Commons, will be open to the public. Those who plan to attend should RSVP here. The panel will be followed by a sustainable, locally sourced meal provided by Bon Appetit.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day event is organized by the Taylor Center for Equity and Inclusion, which aims to foster an inclusive environment across the intersections of race and identity that students bring to St. Olaf. The college will honor and recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day by not holding classes on Monday, January 20, and making the day a holiday for staff, faculty, and students.
Taylor Center Director Martin Olague ’04 notes that this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming centers on food justice as a locally rooted issue.
“I worked with a group of staff who had suggested we focus on more local issues,” Olague says. “The topic of food justice is something that affects Rice County and our community outside of St. Olaf. I know each day, many people around us worry about their next meal. It’s essential to align these events with the work of Dr. King, who was and would remain committed to food justice in our local communities — Dr. King was about community, and for us to fully develop that message, we need to be engaged in the community. We can stay here at St. Olaf, meet at a dinner, and talk about important issues, and that’s a great start. That sparks the mind.”
Olague hopes the programming will inspire students to think deeply about their role in social change and community leadership.
“The work of change is big, and it has many faces, and the work varies,” he says. “I hope that students can get a spark of what they want to do, how they want to contribute to that change.”
About the Speakers
J Devon Nolen
Nolen is a Community Engagement Consultant with Minneapolis Climate Action, drawing on 27 years of experience building meaningful, effective partnerships with communities. As a member of the founding cohort of the Environmental Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC) through the Public Policy Project, Nolen gained firsthand insight into what it means to live, work, worship, and recreate in environmentally overburdened communities. Nolen’s work centers on expanding access to information and empowering residents to participate in shaping a more sustainable future. Nolen is passionate about serving as a connector for transformational change, helping communities become greener, more resilient, and self-reliant.
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
Haslett-Marroquin is the founder of the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance and the author of In the Shadow of Green Man. He is a global leader in advancing innovative, poultry-centered regenerative agriculture systems. In addition to his teaching and advocacy work, Haslett-Marroquin is developing the Salvatierra Farm in Minneapolis, a model project focused on multi-level strategies for creating triple bottom-line regenerative food and agriculture systems. He currently oversees system implementation across the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia. Haslett-Marroquin studied at the Central National School of Agriculture and the Universidad de San Carlos in Guatemala, and is a graduate of Augsburg College in Minneapolis.
Alissa Jacobsen
Jacobsen is a sustainability agriculture professional with more than 14 years of experience in organic farming, land stewardship, and community-based food systems. Originally from Stillwater, Minnesota, she was first drawn to sustainable agriculture for its environmental impact and quickly became passionate about its ability to strengthen rural communities. Jacobsen’s work includes founding the Morris Organic Student Garden Club, managing her Hidden Willow Farm CSA and Darn Tootin’ Beans heirloom bean business, and serving as a farm manager at Open Hands Farm in Northfield and Frogtown Farm in St. Paul. Jacobsen has also contributed to food access and education initiatives through her work with Wozupi Tribal Gardens within the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
Oles will also have the opportunity to attend two off-campus events in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day: the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast in Minneapolis on January 19, and Macalester College’s Martin Luther King Jr. event on January 22. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center, and has the theme of Make a Career of Humanity. It will feature keynote addresses from award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien and influential education education leader Freeman Hrabowski III. At Macalester College, students will hear from bestselling author Bettina Love, who will deliver her keynote address titled More Than a Dream: Honoring the Legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington.