By Dirk Langeveld

Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Image from Fairfield University.

FAIRFIELD — A nationally recognized author and political commentator will be the featured speaker at this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation at Fairfield University.

Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., will deliver an address at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11th, at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The event is free to attend.

The theme of this year’s convocation is “Challenging Injustice: Fear as Fuel for Change.” Fairfield University says this theme reflects the idea that fear can give people pause when they consider taking steps toward justice, but can also be a motivational force encouraging people to take action.

Glaude’s lecture will examine the “complex intersection of race, politics, history, and identity in the United States.” This presentation will also draw on his published works on the lived experience in Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States, and the challenges Americans face as a democracy.

Glaude is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University, and was the chair of the university’s Department of African American Studies from 2009 to 2023. He is also a columnist for Time and a contributor to MSNBC, commenting on the issues of race, democracy, and moral leadership. He has authored several books, most recently We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For.

The convocation is the main event of Fairfield University’s MLK Week, which features lectures, workshops, service opportunities, and creative programs modeled on the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism and ideals. This year’s events include a teach-in, a celebration of activism, a youth leadership academy, and a “transcribe-a-thon” to create updated copies of documents in the DiMenna-Nyselius Library.

For more information on MLK week, visit fairfield.edu/mlk.

MLK Convocation

Wednesday, February 11
6:00 pm
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield


Expanded coverage of Fairfield County cultural events is made possible with support from the Fairfield University Quick Center for the Arts.