MLK Symposium and MLK Health Sciences Lecture set for Monday, Jan. 16

Submitted on Jan 9, 2023

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37th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium

The MLK Symposium will be held at Hill Auditorium. The 2023 symposium kicks off at 10 a.m., with a live stream available for those who cannot attend in person. The keynote address, which will have an in-person component for the first time since 2020, will feature a dynamic mix of local and national speakers and performances.

This year’s theme, “The (R)evolution of MLK: from Segregation to Elevation,” will explore King’s activism after 1964, highlighting the evolution of King’s primary focus on segregation to a broader, more radical, and revolutionary platform that included health, economics and education. King’s quote, “White Americans must recognize that justice for black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society,” defines him as a front-runner in Critical Race Theory.

Keynote panelists from different perspectives will push beyond King’s legacy of “I have a dream” and “nonviolence” to a discussion that centers on King’s more challenging complex legacy calling our society to see solutions to the cultural, economic and governmental root causes of racism.

Learn who the panelists are below:

  • Aletha Maybank, M.D., M.P.H., chief health equity officer and senior vice president of the American Medical Association
  • Edward Buckles, first-time director and best new documentary director winner of The Albert Maysies Award for documentary, Katrina Babies
  • Jalen Rose, former NBA and U-M basketball star, current ABC/ESPN analyst and founder of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy

Following the keynote panelist discussion, an opera created by a U-M professor Stephen Rush will be performed by a fellow U-M professor Scott Piper. The event concludes with Vincent Bohanan’s song, “We Win,” to be performed by the Voices of Distinction from the Detroit School of Arts, and conducted by Julian Goods, a graduate of U-M.

33rd annual MLK Health Sciences Lecture

The MLK Health Science Schools is sponsoring its 33rd Annual MLK Lecture on Monday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. inside the School of Dentistry’s Kellogg Auditorium. This

event led by the deans of the seven health science schools and colleges, staff, faculty and students join our community in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The 2023 theme is “The (R)evolution of MLK: from Segregation to Elevation: The Quest for Health Equity.” The keynote lecture will be delivered by George W. Taylor, D.M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of California-San Francisco, School of Dentistry.

The lecture is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. inside the School of Dentistry’s Kellogg Auditorium. This event led by the deans of the seven health science schools and colleges, staff, faculty and students join our community in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The 2023 theme is “The (R)evolution of MLK: from Segregation to Elevation: The Quest for Health Equity.” The keynote lecture will be delivered by George W. Taylor, D.M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of California-San Francisco, School of Dentistry.

The lecture is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 16 from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Zoom and in person. Please register here to attend.

More information about the MLK Symposium and additional events around campus can be found at mlksymposium.umich.edu.