What: UTC MLK Day 2022
When: 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 28
Where: Click here to register for the virtual event
Read more about Cornel West.
Cornel West, a prominent educator, author and public speaker, is the keynote speaker for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s MLK Day 2022 virtual discussion and Q&A taking place Friday via Zoom.
The theme for the annual event is “Reflecting on Dr. King’s Message of Civility to Inspire Current Generations,” and it will be moderated by Stacy Lightfoot, UTC vice chancellor for diversity and engagement.
Lightfoot said she’s “stoked” to get the opportunity to introduce West to the UTC campus community.
“Cornel West is a scholar I studied when I was in college. His voice is just as important today as it was 25 years ago,” Lightfoot said. “His reputation, reach and influence in my life is significant.
“Dr. West is an authority on racial issues, and it is an honor for me to be able to moderate a conversation with someone that I’ve looked up to for years. I am absolutely stoked.”
West, the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary and professor emeritus at Princeton University, earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Princeton. He has written 20 books, appeared on dozens of TV shows, in popular movies and received more than 20 honorary degrees.
Since 2013, UTC has held a special MLK event on a different day from the federal holiday, allowing students, faculty and staff to participate in a unified campus presence. Previous UTC MLK Day keynote speakers have included New York Times bestselling author Meena Harris, political strategist Symone Sanders and journalist Roland Martin.
“To have this separate event is important; it shines an even brighter light on how UTC can position itself in the community,” Lightfoot said. “I think it is essential for UTC to serve as a leader in conversations about justice, fairness, equity and all things that Dr. Martin Luther King represented, and the University is absolutely fortunate to be able to have Cornel West amplify that message.”
Lightfoot noted the proximity of West’s virtual visit to the start of Black History Month in February.
“Not only is Dr. West paying homage to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, but this is a great bridge to upcoming campus events,” she said. “This keeps the momentum and conversations going about what’s important and what we all want for humanity: For all of us to be able to come together in love, in peace, in justice and in truth.”
UTC MLK Day 2022 is presented by the Office of Multicultural Affairs in collaboration with the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Division of Diversity and Engagement, Dean of Students, Student and Family Engagement, Adolph S. Ochs Professor of Government, Africana Studies, Department of Communication, Department of History and the Bessie Smith Cultural Center.
