Southwestern College will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 15 with an event titled, “Building Builders.”  There is no admission charge and the community is invited to attend. 

The event is focused on empowering students to dream beyond societal expectations and encouraging self-discovery through education. As part of the event, speakers Jim Robinson, Jr., JD, and special guest, Brian A. Black, DM, will share with the audience.  “Building Builders” will be hosted on the Southwestern College campus at Wroten Hall, beginning at 9 a.m., but it is a come-and-go event. The event is sponsored by NetVue and Southwestern College.

The morning session features Robinson from 9 a.m., until 12 noon.  Robinson is the son of Forest James Robinson Sr., who was a SC alum, fundraiser, and interim president. He will be speaking about his father’s legacy and the purpose of his vocation.   In addition, sharing their reflections are employees Kristen Petty (professor of business) and Alissa Sheppard (student success advisor). 

The afternoon features Black from 1 to 3:30 p.m.  Black will be speaking on the legacy of Dr. King.  In addition, current SC students and recent alums will reflect on how they are building their own legacy.  

Forrest James “Jim” Robinson, Jr. is a business litigation partner in the law firm of Hite, Fanning & Honeyman, L.L.P., in Wichita. He received degrees from Southwestern College (1980) and the University of Kansas School of Law (1983).  He was inducted into the Southwestern College Social Sciences Hall of Fame in 2009.

He has held numerous leadership positions throughout his career and is listed in “Best Lawyers in America” in the areas of “bet-the-company litigation,” “commercial litigation” and litigation—banking and finance” and is recognized as the 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” in “Bet-the-Company Litigation in Wichita,” and as the 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” in “Litigation - Banking and Finance in Wichita.” In 2018, he was appointed by the Kansas Supreme Court to serve as a member of the Kansas Judicial Council. He currently chairs the Council’s Civil Code Advisory Committee.

In 2020, he was appointed by Governor Laura Kelly to the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Taskforce, which is charged with leading Kansas forward from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He represents Kansas as a member of the Lawyer’s Committee of the National Center for State Courts in Washington D.C. and chairs its Committee to Increase Firm and Donor Support. In November 2018, he was inducted into the National Center’s Warren E. Burger Society, which honors individuals who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to improving the administration of justice.

Brian Black is the Global Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Hexion Inc.

He is a senior leader and executive with extensive human resources, public relations, community, and government relations expertise, complemented by excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. He has a proven record of helping organizations and people perform optimally through positive role modeling, executive-level guidance, and informed leadership. Black is known for a strong legacy in community service, education, public policy, and cultural transformations.

Black has earned several honors and awards including the Kansas Health Foundation Fellowship, Charles F. Kettering Fellowship, National TRIO Achiever, Wichita Business Journal Leader in Diversity, and the A. Price Woodard Humanitarian Award.

Black earned his bachelor of science degree in management and masters degree from the University of South Carolina, and a doctorate of management from the University of Phoenix. 

VIDEO ARCHIVE