Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture at Harvard with Loretta Lynch

Wednesday | October 4, 2023 | 5:30pm

 

The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture at Harvard recognizes an individual who, through their activism, advocacy, scholarship, or service, has made an indelible contribution to advancing justice and equality.

The 2023 lecture honors nationally acclaimed civil rights advocate Loretta E. Lynch, ‘81, J.D.‘84 who will deliver a keynote speech on October 4.
 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Loretta E. Lynch served as the 83rd U.S. attorney general from 2015 through 2017—only the second woman, and the first Black woman to hold that office. During her tenure, she worked to ensure equal protection of the law, notably in defense of LGBT equality in the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, which made same-sex marriages legal in all 50 states. She vigorously defended the Voting Rights Act, challenged discrimination against transgender people, and worked to reform law enforcement practices and police training. At a young age, Lynch, the daughter of a librarian and a Baptist minister, became inspired by students who planned anti-segregation boycotts at her father’s church and by listening to stories of her grandfather’s heroism in helping Black families to relocate away from places where Jim Crow was the norm in the 1930s.

Learn more about Attorney General Lynch.

The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture at Harvard is hosted by the Office of the President and the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

Nominate a 2024 Lecturer by October 31.