The Faculty of Arts & Sciences hosts an annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King Celebration throughout the month of February to celebrate the lives and legacies of these two pivotal and transformational leaders.
This year’s theme centers on Coretta Scott King’s bold and intersectional activism and the many ways she influenced the clarion call for civil and human rights in the 20th and 21st centuries. A global humanitarian, teacher, and prismatic arbiter of social justice, Coretta Scott King, spent her lifetime mobilizing around a broad range of social and political issues to ameliorate racism, colonialism, discrimination, and oppression writ large. Her activism spanned many movements and continents, and it transcended the classical phase of the Black freedom movement. The untimely death of her husband and partner in the struggle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1968, deepened Mrs. King’s profound and unflinching commitment to civil and human rights as she marshalled the memory of her martyred husband and continued their shared quest for peace, justice, and a beloved community.
We are grateful to the FAS Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Leadership Council for conceptualizing this celebration, and a very special thank you to our planning co-chairs. Deep thanks goes out to our full planning committee, our partners across the FAS, and the support of our leadership.
Listen to Coretta Scott King’s Commencement Lecture
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was invited by the Harvard Class of 1968 to address them on Class Day. Unbeknownst to them, and the world, Dr. King would be assassinated on April 4, 1968. In honor of her late husband, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, agreed to address the class of 1968 on Class Day. Her speech, entitled, “We May Yet Not Only Survive, We May Triumph,” was a resounding call to action.
To set the stage for the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Celebration, faculty, students, and staff are encouraged to listen to or read the speech delivered by Mrs. King. Both iterations of the speech will inspire you, as it did the entire Harvard community, and the world, in 1968. As we celebrate Mrs. and Dr. King, their sacrifice, and commitment to create the Beloved Community, let us reflect on how we can actively engage in this work.