Lipscomb community reflects on King’s call to ‘be light’ at annual celebration

Lipscomb community reflects on King's call to 'be light' at annual celebration

Kim Chaudoin | 01/18/2026

Lipscomb University faculty and staff gathered Jan. 15 in the George Shinn Center for the annual Celebration of the Impact and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., centering this year on King's words, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that."

The service featured remarks from Lipscomb President Candice McQueen, reflections from faculty, a keynote address by Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake and musical selections from the Lipscomb University Chorale.

William Turner, special counsel to the president and provost, began the celebration by framing the theme through King's Strength to Love sermon.

"These words call us to a higher way of living, one rooted not in retaliation or despair, but in healing, moral courage and reconciliation," Turner said. "Dr. King reminds us that light is not passive; it is active, intentional and transformative."

McQueen reminded the campus community that King's words remain urgent and actionable.

"Those words are as urgent today as they were when he first spoke them more than 60 years ago," she said. "They are not simply poetic; they are instructional. They tell us that the work of reconciliation and healing requires intention, requires courage, and it requires light."

She connected King's call to the theme she shared at her inauguration five years ago, Be a Light.

"As Christians, we believe this calling comes directly from Scripture from the reminder in Matthew 5: We are the light of the world," McQueen said. "At Lipscomb, we seek to live out that charge every day. We honor Dr. King's legacy by seeking to be a light in the world."

McQueen encouraged faculty and staff to consider how they embody that calling in daily life.

"Being a light does not mean the darkness is absent," she said. "It means we choose not to let darkness have the final word. Together, let us recommit ourselves to being a community that honors Dr. King's legacy not just today, but every day through the way we serve, teach and lead."

Drake, who has served as Metro Nashville's chief of police since 2020, shared a personal keynote about how King's example has shaped his life and nearly 38-year career in law enforcement.

"Dr. King has walked with me throughout my entire career, through hope and heartbreak, through progress and pain," Drake said. "Dr. King taught me that your circumstances do not define your destiny."

Reflecting on his journey in law enforcement, Drake said King helped shape the questions he asks as a leader.

"As a young officer, I didn't ask, 'How do I enforce the law?' I asked, 'How do I enforce the law fairly? How do I enforce it humanely without losing my soul?'" he said. "Those are Dr King questions. Dr King taught me something critical. Leadership is not about rank, it's about moral authority. You can have stripes on your sleeve, bars and stars on your collar and still lack moral authority."

"But when people trust your heart, when they know that you're guided by principle, that's when leadership becomes real," continued Drake. "As I rose through the ranks, Dr. King's example reminded me that authority without integrity is hollow law. Law without justice is oppression. But he also believed justice without discipline leads to chaos. The strongest leaders don't shout the loudest. They stand the longest."

Drake said during his 38-year career he has seen progress and setbacks.

"There were moments I wondered if we were truly moving forward. Dr. King reminds me that hope is not naive. Hope is discipline. Hope is intentional. Hope is work," he reflected. "Change does not happen overnight, but it does happen when people refuse to give up. What Dr. King means to me today is responsibility. It means asking myself, 'am I leaving this profession better than I found it?' 'Will I leave this world better than I found it?'"

As part of the celebration faculty members Kimberly McCall, director of the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society; Erica Vasquez, assistant professor of social work; and DeAndrea Witherspoon Nash, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, Counseling and Family Science, shared reflections on what it means to live out King's vision today. Board of Trustees member Tony Giarratana introduced Drake prior to the keynote address. Throughout the service, the Lipscomb University Chorale, directed by Matt Taylor, led the community in worship through several musical selections.

- Photos by Kristi Jones