A social justice scholar and noted author will present the keynote address at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day assembly at the Williston Northampton School on Monday, January 18.

Marcella Runell Hall, the dean of students at Mount Holyoke College, will present “Storytelling for Social Justice,” which will encourage students to define the term “ally,” explore what it means to have multiple social identities, and practice the power of storytelling.

Dr. Hall is the author of three award-winning books: “The Hip-Hop Education Guidebook: Volume 1,” with Martha Diaz; “Conscious Women Rock the Page: Using Hip-Hop Fiction to Incite Social Change;” and “Love, Race, and Liberation: ‘Til the White Day Is Done” with Jennifer “JLove” Calderon.

According to her biography, Dr. Hall is a frequent presenter on such topics as cultivating religious and spiritual literacy, hip hop in the classroom, and contemporary diversity issues.

Before accepting her current position in the Pioneer Valley, Dr. Hall was the founding co-director at the Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership at New York University. She was also a clinical faculty member at NYU’s Silver School of Social Work and taught university level courses on Martin Luther King, Jr. Her work has been published by Scholastic Books, the New York Times Learning Network, VIBE, and various academic journals, including Equity and Excellence in Education.

Among her many honors in the field of education, Dr. Hall was the recent recipient of NYU’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award and the university’s NIA Outstanding Faculty Award. Her website notes that “the prestigious award recognizes faculty members who exemplify the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through their excellent teaching, leadership, social justice work, and community building.”