Register Today: Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month Celebration
The University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and Black History Month celebration combines inspirational speeches, vocal performances, and awards given to worthy colleagues and community members who promote equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University and beyond.
This year, the MLK and Black History Month event will be held on Thursday, Feb. 6, at noon at MSTF Leadership Hall, with a reception/light lunch to follow in the atrium. I urge you all to attend this in-person celebration by registering at this link.
The keynote speaker will be Darrick Hamilton, PhD, a well-regarded scholar, economist, and intellectual nationally recognized for his research and work in actively advancing racial and economic justice through movement organizing. He is the Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy and founding director of the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School in New York City.
In addition, our Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion will recognize the MLK Diversity Recognition Award winners, honoring students, faculty, and staff at UMB whose personal or professional work sustains Dr. King’s legacy of building a free and just society. The UMB Community Champions of Equity and Justice Awards will honor a local community member and organization for advancing equity and justice in Baltimore.
The celebration will also welcome back Lady Brion, MFA, an internationally known spoken-word artist, activist, organizer, and educator who serves as executive director of the Black Arts District, an organization she founded in 2019. In 2024, she was appointed by Gov. Wes Moore as the poet laureate of Maryland, making her the youngest poet laureate in Maryland history and the first spoken-word artist to hold this position.
Please register today. I hope to see you Feb. 6 at this exciting celebration.
Sincerely,
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
President
