This past week on Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Jeremy Holloway hosted the most recent rendition of the 18:83 Speaker Series. Throughout this event, Holloway spoke on his experience in community leadership, taking particular focus on being an “authentic” leader. The series consists of community leaders sharing personal and professional insights in under 20 minutes. This event is held at the Memorial Union every Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. 

Dr. Holloway is a Geriatric Professor and Director for the University of North Dakota’s School of Geriatric Education, who focuses his own research on the social determinants of health in older adults. During his presentation, he related experiences from his own life and excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream” speech, regarding how we can effectively get involved and make a difference within our own community at UND. 

According to Dr. Holloway, being an authentic leader requires you to be genuine, honest, and sincere. Along with the personal traits that play into being an authentic leader, you must also understand the history and context of the issue you are trying to address whilst communicating with your audience or society. Through this understanding you will learn the difference between individualism and community through leadership. 

What made Dr. Martin Luther King such a powerful leader during the Civil Rights Movement was his ability to embody the characteristics of an authentic leader.  

During his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of a crowd surpassing 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. King ensured that he maintained a respectful tone throughout the speech whilst referencing all members of society.  

Dr. Holloway emphasized that the power in Dr. Kings delivery was his ability to focus on the past, present, and future. By doing so, a sense of unity and hope was instilled within many Americans that day for a better future where we can coexist in peace and prosperity.  

Transitioning from the precedent that Dr. King set for leadership during the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Holloway cautioned how as social media continues to grow, it is important to draw a distinction between Authentic and Woke leadership.  

Woke-ism is an ideology that has gained traction over recent years considering social-injustice movements and is a self-destructive form of leadership that focuses on the concerns of an individual person or group. According to Dr. Holloway, woke-ism results in reverse discrimination as seen in recent films within the entertainment industry and effectively divides us. 

Building from that claim, Dr. Halloway said, self-authenticity is important, and regardless of what you have gone through “you still have great value.” Effectively refuting a victim mindset that has gained popularity through mass media in recent years.  

Wrapping up the brief, yet powerful presentation. Dr Holloway shifted his message towards the audience, challenging them, how we are going to build together and how we can be authentic together.  

I would like to challenge you as well to take Dr. Holloway’s words at face value and find ways to be a leader and get involved on campus promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

Daniel Silva is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].