2022 Celebration to Honor Lives and Legacies of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King

Mayor Michelle Wu today announced that, in partnership with Boston University and the New England Conservatory, the City of Boston will present "A Celebration of the Lives and Legacies of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King" on Monday, January 17, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.  The event will be live streamed on both boston.gov and bu.edu/dos/kingday2022, as well as on the City of Boston’s cable network (Xfinity: channel 24, RCN: channel 13, and Fios: channel 962.) 

"Dr. King, Coretta Scott King, and so many other activists dedicated their lives to fighting poverty, systemic racism, and oppression. Their legacy and impact endures,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Thank you to Boston University and the New England Conservatory for your partnership in celebrating their lives and for adapting our annual event to allow all Bostonians to safely mark this important day.”



This year’s program will include remarks from Mayor Michelle Wu, President of Boston University Robert A. Brown, and President of the New England Conservatory Andrea Kalyn.

The program also features:

• Brianna Bourne, Boston University Arts & Sciences ’24, Boston Latin Academy ‘20
• Saida Grundy, Assistant Professor of Sociology, African American Studies, and Women's and Gender Studies at Boston University
• Katherine Kennedy, Director, Boston University Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground
• Jean Morrison, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Boston University
• Jean-Luc Pierite, Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, President of the Board of The North American Indian Center of Boston
• Kelsey Russell, Boston University Arts & Sciences ‘22
• Tanisha Sullivan, President of the NAACP Boston Branch
• Andrea Taylor, Senior Diversity Officer, Boston University

The program will also include musical selections performed by student ensembles and choirs from the New England Conservatory and the Boston University the Inner Strength Gospel Choir



“We are pleased to partner with the City of Boston and New England Conservatory to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King and the enduring work of Coretta Scott King,” said Boston University President Robert A. Brown. “We pause in our busy lives to reflect on Dr. King’s achievement and sacrifice so that we can renew our commitment to do all we can to make our society, our world, just and equitable.”

"We are so pleased to join Boston University and the City of Boston in celebrating the work and contributions of Dr. and Mrs. King, and for the opportunity to reflect together on how their leadership inspires and informs our own responsibility to advance equity, justice, and community,” said New England Conservatory President Andrea Kalyn.

In previous years, leaders such as U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley, Beverly Morgan-Welch, Sonia Sanchez, Dr. Alvin Poussaint, Ernest Green of the Little Rock Nine, Judy Richardson of Eyes on the Prize, and civil rights activist and filmmaker Topper Carew served as keynote speakers. Governor Deval Patrick, Chief Justice Roderick Ireland, Boston Poet Laureates Sam Cornish and Danielle Legros Georges, former Orthopaedic Surgeon-in-Chief at Beth Israel Hospital Dr. Augustus White, and WGBH Radio host Eric Jackson are among those who have served as readers in previous years.