Indiana entrepreneur Kiahna W. Davis delivers keynote speech at Purdue University Northwest’s MLK Jr. DayCommunity Celebration

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) hosted its Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration event on Jan. 19 to reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students, alumni, sponsors and community members gathered for a morning of celebration and encouragement at PNW’s Great Hall Events and Conference Center. Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch emceed the celebration.

“Dr. King reminded us that life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ This celebration answers that question simply by our presence, by gathering across differences, by sitting at tables together, by choosing conversation over silence, and by choosing unity over division,” said Nelson Deuitch. “Today is not just a remembrance of history — it’s a recommitment to our shared responsibility to build the Beloved Community right where we are now.”

The free event featured a breakfast buffet, a welcome by PNW Chancellor Kenneth C. Holford and a performance by the Krueger Middle School Choir. The choir sang the National Anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

“While many of Dr. King’s teachings are more than a half-century old now, I believe the meaning and themes are still as relevant today as they were in the past, and they still benefit us,” Holford said. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and critically. Intelligence plus character is the true goal of education. This university strives to provide its students with more than just a knowledge base, and to think about that character aspect of developing individuals that will have an opportunity for social and economic mobility moving forward.”

Attendees included many members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, Incorporated, who showed up to support the keynote speaker, Kiahna W. Davis. Davis is the founder and CEO of Mind Your Business Accounting and Tax and AKA’s Central Region Director. Born and raised in Michigan City, Davis was pleased to be invited back by Nelson Deuitch, her longtime friend, to deliver the keynote speech at PNW’s event.

“I’m proud to be from Michigan City, and the success that I have gained throughout my life has been rooted in the foundations of hard work and determination that the citizenry of Michigan City taught me,” Davis said.

During her speech, Davis highlighted the importance of education and explained why it should be a key focus for those who wish to carry on Dr. King’s legacy. Education of all levels and across all fields of work puts the power for change in everyone’s hands and makes true equality a possibility.

“Do not let anyone tell you that education does not matter,” Davis said. “Education matters – not just four-year degrees, but associate degrees, technical certifications, licensed trades. Skilled electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, plumbers and IT specialists often earn strong wages over time and have far less debt. Let’s start telling the truth about education. Apprenticeships matter. You earn while you learn. Home ownership matters. It is the best way to transfer wealth from generation to generation.”

Davis hopes everyone who has been inspired by King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech understands how that dream is achieved. She spoke extensively about his work within local communities, which included initiatives such as the Poor People’s Campaign.

“He understood that civil rights without economic power leaves people visible but still vulnerable,” she said.

Davis brought a message of hope to the gathering, but she also called for action.

“You can vote and still be broke. You can march and still be with burden. You can dream, but you’re still locked out. Dr King didn’t die chasing symbolism. He was killed confronting systems, and this tells us exactly where the unfinished work is. What we are dealing with today is nothing new, and if we understand the pattern of economics, we’ll know how to beat this system. We must build systems that are inclusive for everyone.”

For more information, visit pnw.edu.