MLK Jr. Commemorative Series

Byron Pitts, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, author and co-host of ABC’s Nightline, warned against the dangers of becoming indifferent to helping others and challenged members of the Vanderbilt community to see their potential to change the world through service when he delivered the university’s 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series keynote address on Monday evening. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Department of Sociology will present a lecture by Dorceta Taylor, senior associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion and professor of environmental justice at Yale University, on Thursday, Jan. 26, from noon to 1 p.m. in Alumni Hall, Room 202. Taylor’s talk will explore the intersectionality of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideologies and work. Read More

The annual MLK Joint Day of Service brings together hundreds of student volunteers from Nashville-area colleges and universities to continue the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through service. This year's event will be on Saturday, April 2, beginning at 10 a.m. at Tennessee State University's Gentry Center. Following the opening program, volunteers will go to different service sites. Lunch will be provided. Read More

Acclaimed poet and activist Nikky Finney paid tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by honoring the generations of Black women who nurtured, educated and inspired King and countless others through what she calls the "motherload of knowledge." Finney was the keynote speaker at Vanderbilt University’s Jan. 17 virtual commemoration. Read More

Karl A. Racine, attorney general for the District of Columbia, will deliver Vanderbilt Law School's 2022 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture on Monday, Jan. 31, beginning at 12:30 p.m. CT via Zoom. The lecture is free, but advanced registration is required to attend. Read More

Renowned poet, professor and author Nikky Finney will deliver a keynote address as part of Vanderbilt University’s 2022 commemoration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Finney is scheduled to speak Jan. 17 as part of a virtual program that will begin with a vigil and include remarks by Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. Read More

Ethiopian American novelist Dinaw Mengestu gave an impassioned personal view of growing up in an immigrant family in the United States during his keynote address for this year’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative event, hosted in partnership with the Vanderbilt Chancellor’s Lecture Series. Read More

Vanderbilt leaders are reflecting on the life and legacy of veteran civil rights activist Kwame Lillard, who died Dec. 20 in Nashville. As recently as January 2020, Lillard shared his firsthand experiences in the civil rights movement with Vanderbilt students as part of the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series. Read More

A series of virtual events for the Vanderbilt community will celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 18. Beginning this year, MLK Day is a paid staff holiday, aligning with VU’s efforts to strengthen equity, diversity and inclusion. Read More

Ethiopian American novelist Dinaw Mengestu, known for his powerful and personal depictions of the immigrant experience and perspectives on the American dream, will be the keynote speaker for Vanderbilt University’s 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorative event on Monday, Jan. 18. Read More