38th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

The observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday has been a tradition at the University of Puget Sound since before it was established as a national holiday in 1986.  Please join us as we continue this tradition into its 38th year.

This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Fred Johnson III, our Spring 2024 Swope Endowed Lecturer. Dr, Johnson, the Guy Vander Jagt Professor of History at Hope College, is a scholar of 19th-century United States history, with a particular focus on the Civil War era. His talk, "MLK: The Quintessentially American King," will invite us to consider that the more perfect union of "We the People" shall only be realized "when the first-class citizenship sought for by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , becomes a reality for all Americans."

In addition to Dr. Johnson's address, the event will feature welcome remarks, the presentation of Puget Sound's annual "Keep Living the Dream" award, and a closing call to action by University Chaplain Rev. Dave Wright. Following the program, all are welcome to attend a reception with Dr. Johnson in the Kilworth Lounge. 

Tickets are free and open to the public.

The event is hosted by the Office of Institutional Equity & Diversity in collaboration with the Swope Endowed Lectures. The Swope Endowed Lectures are made possible by an endowment established in honor of Puget Sound alumna Jane Hammer Swope, Class of 1942. The lectures invite significant speakers to campus to help the Puget Sound community engage with themes of faith, ethics, values, or religion in society.