Daughters of Malcolm X to Speak at WFU on MLK Day

By Staff

Each year, Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University collaborate to host a major celebration to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme of this year’s program is “On Common Ground: The Future is Dependent on Us” and highlights the call for the next generation of leaders to help mend historical divides and end systemic injustice.

On Monday, January 18, at 7pm in Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University, Ambassador Attallah Shabazz and Ilyasah Shabazz, daughters of civil rights icons Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, will join Wake Forest’s Dean of the College Michele Gillespie in an exploration of the connection between King and Malcolm X and a discussion on the current racial and political climate in the U.S. More information about the speakers and the event is available here.

“We are delighted to have these two remarkable women with us during such an important time in our history,” said Barbee Oakes, Wake Forest’s chief diversity officer. “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were seminal figures in the fight for civil rights, and it’s through the voices of their family members that we gain clarity of their vision and an understanding of how to be effective change agents in the 21st-century struggle for justice.”
This 16th annual keynote event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is free and open to the public. Wait Chapel doors open at 6:15pm.

Earlier in the evening, Winston-Salem State University will host an invitation-only banquet where one student and one faculty/staff member from both Winston-Salem State and Wake Forest will receive the “Building the Dream” award in recognition of their efforts toward improving social justice and building community.