Benjamin Jealous, a former investigative journalist and NAACP president, will be the keynote speaker at the UW–Madison’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium at the Memorial Union’s Shannon Hall on Monday, Jan. 23.
Jealous was one of the youngest presidents in NAACP history. He has also served as president of the Rosenberg Foundation, founding director of Amnesty International’s U.S. Human Rights Program, and executive director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association — the largest trade association of African-American owned newspapers.
In his keynote speech, Jealous will reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through the lens of Jealous’s work as a civil rights leader, social entrepreneur, and changemaker.
The annual MLK Symposium is hosted by UW–Madison Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement in partnership with the Wisconsin Union Theater.
Following the keynote, Jealous will engage with questions submitted prior to the event.
All are invited to a reception with light refreshments in the Sunset Lounge outside the theater immediately following the event.
Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement annually host a campus speaker in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The speaker each year is asked to provide their reflections on the legacy of MLK and to discuss how their work or experience connects to this. Recent event speakers have included astronaut Mae Jemison, MD, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Nikole Hannah-Jones.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information about UW–Madison’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium, e-mail [email protected] or click here.
