History Professor Sabrina Thomas (right) introduces Alonzo Jones (seated, left) to her Sports, War & Masculinity class on Jan. 18, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Jones, the Associate Dean of Students at Arizona State University, opened a dialogue on what it means to be a man.
'America anoints priviledge of adultness based on birthdays. I'm 48. Does that make me a man,' was Jones' opening query.
Jones challenged the students present, stating 'Masculinity is a powerful conversation. What is a man? I want to make this question as difficult as possible.'
The students, obviously, were engaged in the conversation.
'So much weight is put into the physical self, though that alienates so much of the populatulation, and yet, it's only one-third of your life,' Jones said.
'Do you raise (children) with your physical self? Maybe. No matter how, you actually raise a child with love. A lot of men raise kids physically.'
'The key is exposure. The more exposure you get, the more you can transfer this to another group of people and see them as human,' said Jones.
Later that afternoon, the Wabash community gathered in Pioneer Chapel for an interactive reading of Dr. King's monumental 'I Have A Dream' speech. Here, President Greg Hess utters the speech's opening line.
Eighty-one speakers voluntarily participated by each reading one of the speech's 81 lines.
Dean for Professional Development Alan Hill closed the reading.
Members of the Malcolm X Institute for Black Studies gathered for a group photo following the speech.
Wabash College presents noted educator and pubic speaker Alonzo Jones, whose talk at 7:30 p.m. will highlight a day of activities commemorating the life and leadership of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., on Monday, Jan. 18.
The Associate Dean of Students at Arizona State University, Jones has spent more than a quarter century creating and managing programs that support the academic, cultural, and personal development of students. On the Tempe, AZ-based campus, he is leading a university-wide effort to elevate engagement in culturally related programs. In addition to his educational and oratorical exploits, Jones is an author and successful entrepreneur.
“Wabash College is pleased to have Mr. Jones on our campus during our MLK Day of Celebration,” said Alan Hill, 
Dean for Professional Development. “We are strongly committed to being a campus that appreciates, values, and respects differences. Having Mr. Jones present on topics related to personal and cultural development will assist in our overall effort to truly be a welcoming community and will further enhance the professional growth and development of all of our students."
Jones’ talk, “A Man among Men, but indeed only a Man!” will take place in Baxter Hall room 101, and is one of many activities on campus that afternoon. The slate begins at noon, when Jones will lead a lunch discussion with students at the Malcolm X Institute for Black Studies (MXIBS). The discussion, the “Situational Identity Matrix Workshop,” acknowledges the profound, multifaceted beauty that resides in each individual that makes understanding which one of our selves should be front and center essential for success.
Jones also will be a guest speaker in Professor Sabrina Thomas’ history class, “Sports, War, and Masculinity.”
“Alonzo's personal and professional experiences have provided him with the tools to connect with students intellectually and to challenge them in the art of self-reflection,” said Thomas. “He is a dynamic speaker who engages his student audiences while forcing them to deeply consider issues of identity, masculinity, and manhood. I have observed his success with student-athletes and professional athletes in the NFL and I am excited for him to share his knowledge with the students at Wabash College.”
From 2-5 p.m. there will be a campus screening of “King: A Filmed Record…from Montgomery to Memphis,” the acclaimed documentary that speaks to Dr. King’s place in American history. The screening will take place in MXIBS, room 109.
Members of the community are encouraged to participate in an interactive reading of Dr. King’s monumental “I Have a Dream” speech from 4-4:15 p.m. on the north steps of the entrance to the Allen Athletics and Recreation Center.
The film screening, “I Have a Dream” speech reading and evening talk are free and open to the public.