MLK Commemorative Event

Author, civil engineer and Nashville native Cheryl McKissack Daniel will headline the Vanderbilt University Martin Luther King Jr. Day Speaker Event on Thursday, Jan. 15, kicking off the university’s 2026 MLK Commemorative Event Series. Read More

Vanderbilt University celebrated the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a series of events on and off campus. These commemorations brought together faculty, staff, students and members of the Nashville community, fostering reflection, dialogue and action in honor of King’s lasting impact. Read More

Award-winning filmmakers Karen Hayes and Pamela Tom will speak at Vanderbilt University’s 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration. The kickoff event is scheduled for 5 to 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15, in Sarratt Cinema. Hayes and Tom will discuss their new film, A Better Way: James Lawson, Architect of Nonviolence, insights into the filmmaking process, their time with the Rev. James Lawson, Lawson’s connections with Vanderbilt and Nashville, and the impact of his work in the broader Civil Rights Movement. Read More

This year’s MLK Day commemoration theme—“One Vanderbilt. One Nashville. One Dream.”—was a nod to the history of the university, which celebrates its sesquicentennial this year and where generations of Nashvillians have come together to learn and serve.  Read More

Khalil Ekulona, host of the Nashville Public Radio program This Is Nashville, will be the keynote speaker for Vanderbilt University’s 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration. Ekulona will address the Vanderbilt community on Monday, Jan. 15, at 1:30 p.m. Read More