MLK Day

U-M Library, along with the School of Information, the Housing Office, and the Bentley Historical Library have sponsored an outstanding program for Martin Luther King Jr. Day from 1989 to the present.

Join us virtually on January 16, 2023 for a talk by Fania E. Davis on The Power of Restorative Justice.

This event is part of U-M’s annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium, one of the largest academic celebrations of the leader’s life and legacy in the nation.

Ideas for future programs are welcomed by the MLK Committee at libmlkday@umich.edu.

Past speakers

In 1989, Gwendolyn Brooks, the prominent and prolific poet and novelist, was the library’s first speaker in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Her presence led the way for a strong annual program of presentations. 

2020-present

  • 2022 - Steve Pemberton
  • 2021 - Mary Frances Berry
  • 2020 - Cheryl Brown Henderson

2010-2019

  • 2019 - Michael Eric Dyson
  • 2018 - Karine Jean-Pierre
  • 2017 - Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni
  • 2016 - Alicia Garza
  • 2015 - Stephen Henderson
  • 2014 - Michigan's Story: The History of Race at U-M (exhibit)
  • 2013 - Angela Davis
  • 2012 - Step Afrika!
  • 2011 - Bertice Berry
  • 2010 - Sapphire 

2000-2009

  • 2009 - Larry Wilmore
  • 2008 - Valarie Kaur
  • 2007 - Helen Zia
  • 2006 - Keith Beauchamp
  • 2005 - Juan R. I. Cole
  • 2004 - Christopher Edley Jr.
  • 2003 - bell hooks
  • 2002 - Sherman Alexie
  • 2001 - Carmen Tafolla
  • 2000 - Earl Ofari Hutchinson

1989-1999

  • 1999 - Cast performance of the play "Camp Logan" by Celeste Bedford Walker
  • 1998 - Patricia Gaines
  • 1997 - Farai Chideya
  • 1996 - Bobby Seale
  • 1995 - bell hooks
  • 1994 - Mary Frances Berry
  • 1993 - Gloria Naylor 
  • 1992 - Alex Haley
  • 1991 - Claude Brown
  • 1990 - Haki R. Madhubuti
  • 1989 - Gwendolyn Brooks