“Celebrate the truth of the dream with love” by Wisthon Thimé, 2022

“Celebrate the truth of the dream with love” by Wisthon Thimé
Courtesy of MIT Office of Graduate Education

The oil painting “Celebrate the truth of the dream with love” by Wisthon Thimé of Jean Appolon Expressions was commissioned for the 48th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at MIT, February 2022.

At [the 2022] annual MIT celebration of the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr, keynote speaker Eddie S. Glaude Jr., the James S. Donnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University, invoked King’s memory in an impassioned appeal for confronting the realities of the United States’ history and the country’s racist beliefs and actions, in order to achieve a more just and equitable nation.

[...]

Stewart Isaacs, an MIT doctoral student in aeronautics and astronautics who acted as master of ceremonies for the event, said that the theme for this year’s event is “Open your mind and heart to truth and love.” He said...“In this country, speaking truth has been and continues to be something that could bring us and our loved ones a lot of harm...We’re here today to celebrate those in our MIT community that bravely challenge the power structure to make things better for us all, often at their own personal cost...My hope is that today’s celebration will remind us all of the power we do possess when we organize together as a community in the face of real fears.”

From "Eddie Glaude Jr.: 'We must run toward our fears,'" MIT News, 15 February 2022

Timeline: 2020s
Career: Community
Object: Image
Collection: Activism, Administrators, Illustrations, Keynotes, Martin Luther King, Jr., Princeton, Rising Voices 1995-Present, Students