HistoryMartin Luther King Jr. Celebration
The annual lecture was first held in 1986. Speakers are champions of civil rights and non-violence; their work, and the work of their organizations, reflects the same principles advocated by Dr. King. Over the years, a number of the lecturers have worked directly with Dr. King.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture was instituted by the Peace Studies program at Gustavus Adolphus College to honor the legacy of Dr. King. Initially housed solely in Peace Studies, the lecture typically did not occur on the national holiday honoring Dr. King. Since 2010 the lecture has been a cooperative campus effort and held on the annual day of remembrance.
| Year | Presenter |
|---|---|
| 2021 |
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| 2020 |
Donzaleigh Abernathy, youngest daughter of the American civil rights movement co-founder Rev. Dr. Ralph David and Mrs. Juanita Jones Abernathy, "Growing up with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."
|
| 2019 |
Rev. Dr. Powery, Dean of Duke University Chapel and Associate Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School, "Diversity in Adversity: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Promise of the World House"
|
| 2018 |
Dr. Joyce Ladner, civil rights activist and sociologist
|
| 2017 |
Jonathan L. Walton, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University and Pusey Minister in Harvard’s Memorial Church, "It Was All A Dream..."
|
| 2016 | Dr. Rashad Shabazz, associate professor in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University, "Why Geography Matters in the Struggle for Racial Justice" |
| 2015 | Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington, President and Co-founder of the Washington Consulting Group and the Social Justice Training Institute |
| 2014 |
Diane Nash, Key figure of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, “Reflections on the Civil Rights Movement” |
| 2013 |
Dr. Cathy J. Cohen, Professor of Political Science, U. of Chicago. “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Age of Obama: Building a New Movement for the 21st Century” |
| 2012 |
Taylor Branch, Pulitzer Prize winning author, arguably the preeminent biographer of King, “Myths and Miracles for the King Years” |
| 2011 |
Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr., Co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating committee in 1960 |
| 2010 |
Rev. C.T. Vivian, Close Friend and Lieutenant of Dr. King during the civil rights movement |
| 2009 |
Dr. Henry Williams, Laird Bell Professor of History at Carleton College |
| 2008 |
Mixed Blood Theatre performance and homily by Dr. Bill Green Nonviolence for an Age of Terrorism Dr. David Cortright, Fourth Freedom Forum |
| 2007 |
Stories of Loss, Hope, and the Power of Nonviolent Activism, September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows |
| 2006 |
Sal y Luz: Peace churches in Colombia Representatives from the churches |
| 2005 |
Major Brent Beardsley, Eyewitness to the Rwandan Genocide and former Canadian peacekeeper |
| 2004 |
William Greaves African American filmmaker on the life of Ralph Bunche |
| 2003 |
Living With the Other Dr. Miroslav Volf, Croatian theologian, Yale |
| 2002 |
Dr. Philip Bryant, Associate Professor of English, Gustavus Adolphus College |
| 2001 |
Dr. John Wright, Professor of English and African American Studies, University of Minnesota |
| 2000 |
Martin Luther King III, son of Martin Luther King Jr. |
| 1999 |
Dr. Bill Green (GAC ’72) Professor of History, Augsburg College, MN. Former Chair of Minneapolis School Board |
| 1998 |
Charles Rankin, Professor of Education, Kansas State U. |
| 1996 |
Dr. Michael Harper, Professor of English, Brown University. Poet Laureate of Rhode Island |
| 1995 |
Arun Gandhi, Institute for the Study of Nonviolence, TN. Grandson of Mohandas Gandhi |
| 1994 |
Cornell West, Professor, Princeton University; Prominent Public intellectual |
| 1993 |
Bernice Reagon, “Sweet Honey in the Rock” Gospel Group |
| 1991 |
Dorothy Cotton, Founding Member of Southern Christian Leadership Conference |
| 1990 |
Dr. Bernard Powers, Professor of History N.E. Illinois, University of Chicago |
| 1989 |
Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr. Close Associate of MLK Jr., Director of Peace Education at Gustavus from 1974-1977. |
| 1987 |
Dr. Richard Green, Superintendent of Minneapolis Schools |
| 1986 |
Vivian Jenkins Nelson, Hubert Humphrey Institute, Director of Administration |
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