Duke University has been commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. King for many years. Here is a partial listing of those celebrations.
- 2023: Leading the Good Fight
Keynote Speaker: Mikki Kendall, bestselling author of “Hood Feminism” - 2022: How Long Must We Wait? Striving for the Beloved Community
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and 2022 MacArthur Fellow - 2021: Voices of the Movement
Keynote Speaker: Starsky Wilson, Children’s Rights and Racial Equity Activist - 2020: Power of The People
Keynote Speaker: Andrew Gillum, Former Mayor of Tallahassee and Founder of Bring It Home Florida - 2019: Why Words Matter: From Dissent to Dialogue
Keynote Speakers: Tarana Burke, Founder of the Me Too movement; Shaun King, Writer and Civil Rights Activist - 2018: From King to Kaepernick – Progress Through Protest
Keynote Speaker: Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund - 2017: Building on a Legacy of Civil Rights: Arts, Architecture and Activism
Keynote Speaker: Phil Freelon, Architect and Lead Designer of The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture - 2016: Justice or Just Us: Who is Working to Create a More Perfect Union
Keynote Speaker: Shaun R. Harper, Founder and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center - 2015: Dignity Through Dissent: Demanding Civil Rights in a Modern World
Keynote Speaker: Rev. William J Barber - 2014: 50 years: Backwards or Forward?
Keynote Speaker: Ben Jealous, Former President and CEO of the NAACP - 2013: Protest, Praise & Power: 50 Years in the Making
Keynote Speaker: Rev. William Turner - 2012: Act to Honor
Keynote Speaker: Political Strategist Donna Brazille - 2011: Connect to the Dream
Keynote Speaker: Social Justice Advocate Randall Robinson - 2010: Where Do We Go From Here?
Keynote Speaker: Dolores Huerta, activist and labor leader - 2009: What Becomes of the Dream
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Joseph Lowery, founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Listen to his speech (iTunes). - 2008: The Power of Youth
Keynote Speaker: Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund. Listen to her speech (iTunes). - 2007: Come to the Table
Keynote Speaker: Ambassador Andrew Young, civil rights leader and confidant of Dr. King. Listen to his speech (iTunes). - 2006: Call and Response
Keynote Speaker: Harry Belafonte, entertainer and activist. Listen to his speech (iTunes). - 2005: Arts, Education and Activism
Keynote Speaker: Angela Davis, a professor in the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Listen to her speech (iTunes) PDF - 2004: Fifteenth Annual Service of Celebration & Commemoration
Keynote Speaker: Charles Ogletree, Jr., Jesse Climenko Professor of Law, Harvard University Additional Speaker: Talib Kweli - 2003: In the Footsteps
Keynote Speaker: Lani Guinier, Harvard Law professor - 1999: The Chronicle, special edition