Dr. Evelyn Brooks-Higginbotham will be Keynote Speaker at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Observance at Lincoln University

Celebrating Legacy and Leadership: Honoring Dr. King's Vision

KENNETT SQUARE, PA, UNITED STATES, December 26, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On Monday, January 20, 2025, Dr. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, a distinguished American historian, will be the keynote speaker at Lincoln University, honoring the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This observance is presented by the Martin Luther King CommUNITY of Greater Kennett Area and brings together a diverse audience of public officials, clergy, students, and community members from Southern Chester County and beyond.

The observance will begin with the 24th Annual Fellowship Brunch. It will include a program of choir performances inspired by the civil rights movement, poignant readings from Dr. King’s sermons and letters, and the keynote address by Dr. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham.

Dr. Higginbotham, a tenured professor at Harvard University since 1993, has devoted her career to African American history and religion and currently serves as National President of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. At Harvard, she chaired the Department of African and African Americans Studies from 2006-2013 and is currently The Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and African American Studies. Her insights promise to inspire and enlighten attendees about the continuing relevance of Dr. King’s message.

Following the Fellowship Brunch, guests and the public are cordially invited to the free "Be A King" Volunteer Fair, where community and nonprofit organizations will showcase opportunities to serve and uplift others in the area. All who attend the Volunteer Fair will receive free tee shirts honoring Dr.King. Tours of Lincoln University’s historic campus, exhibitions, and vendors will also be available.

Tickets are required for the Fellowship Brunch/Keynote Address and may be obtained here: MLK Day Fellowship Brunch and Observance. Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in a most inspiring event that honors Dr. King’s legacy and fosters community.

Dr. Higginbotham earned her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in American History, her M.A. from Howard University, and her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has thoroughly revised and re-written the classic African American history survey From Slavery to Freedom, which was first published by John Hope Franklin in 1947. She co-authors this book’s ninth edition, which came out in 2010, with the late John Hope Franklin. A pioneering scholar in African American women’s history, she is the author of the prizewinning book Righteous Discontent: The Women’s Movement in the Black Baptist Church 1880-1920. She is also co-editor with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., of the African American National Biography, now in its second edition (2013). This twelve-volume resource presents African American history through the lives of more than 5,000 biographical entries.

Dr. Higginbotham has received numerous awards and honors. Most notably, in September 2015, she received the 2014 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama at the White House for “illuminating the African American journey.” In March 2015, she was named one of the “Top 25 Women in Higher Education” by Diverse Magazine. She holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2014) and Howard University (2011). She was the John Hope Franklin Fellow at the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, for the academic year 2013-2014. In July 2013, she received the James W.C. Pennington Award from the University of Heidelberg (Germany) for her scholarly contributions to African American Religious History. She was awarded the Star Family Prize for Excellence in Advising in May 2012 for her exemplary intellectual guidance and mentorship of Harvard undergraduates. In 2012 she received the Living Legacy Award from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; and in 2011 received the Honorary Doctorate from Howard University. In 2010, Higginbotham was inducted into the American Philosophical Society for promoting useful knowledge. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History awarded her the Carter G. Woodson Scholars Medallion in 2008, and in that same year, the National Urban League awarded her the Legend Award. In 2003 she was chosen by Harvard University to be a Walter Channing Cabot Fellow in recognition of her achievements in the field of history.

For more information about this year’s events, visit www.mlkcommunity.org. Continue Dr. King’s dream of equality, justice, and service to humanity by coming to this meaningful celebration for all!

Carol A. Black
MLKCommUNITY of the Greater Kennett Area
+1 215-820-1164
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