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SU Welcomes Renowned Historian to Mark MLK Commemoration

Written by Andrew Binion

January 11, 2024

Photo of speaker for MLK event

In on-campus event, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will celebrate 60 years since Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and Congress passed the Civil Rights Act.

In honoring Martin Luther King Jr., Seattle University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion is welcoming esteemed historian Robin D.G. Kelley as the keynote speaker for its Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration.

Marking 60 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act as well as Dr. King winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the event will be Tuesday, Jan. 16, 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Pigott Auditorium.

The focus of Dr. Kelley’s speech, “From Montgomery to Oslo,” will be Dr. King’s global vision of justice, emphasizing that the Civil Rights Act was just the beginning of the movement for justice and his commitment to global peace and internationalism started long before he began criticizing the Vietnam War.

For those in the audience wishing to ask questions of Dr. Kelley during a Q&A, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion has set up an online form to submit questions ahead of time. 

The first 50 audience members to arrive will receive a free, signed copy of the book Dr. Kelley co-edited, along with former NFL star Colin Kaepernick, Our History has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies.