As we mark the occasion of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination 50 years ago this April, the community of Memphis is taking the opportunity to look back at what Dr. King did for our community all those many years ago, while also looking to the future and what it holds. Join us for “Where do we go from here?” an MLK50 symposium and luncheon taking place Monday, April 2, 2018.
Where do we go from here?
The MLK50 symposium, ” Where do we go from here?” is part of a full slate of events happening this spring to mark the occasion of Dr. King’s assassination at the Lorraine Hotel on April 4, 1968. The Lorraine Hotel is now the home of the National Civil Rights Museum.
The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and the National Civil Rights Museum will host the symposium at the Peabody Hotel, two days before the 50th anniversary of his death. The event will bring together nationally renowned scholars, historians, thought leaders and other veterans of the movement’s front lines to discuss how far we’ve come since that fateful April day, and where the future of the civil rights movement is headed as we continue the fight for equality and justice.
Scheduled to appear
Former United States Attorney General Eric Holder will be the keynote speaker at the symposium. Holder served as the United States Attorney General from 2009 to 2015, before becoming a partner at Covington and Burling. He’ll be joined by other important voices on the topic of the legal accomplishments, hurdles, and challenges that the movement faces as they relate to Dr. King’s enduring vision. Holder will be joined by a number of other panelists, including:
- Mark Osler
- Toussaint Losier
- Roy Austin
- Tracey Maclin
- Dayne Matthew
- Debo Adegbile
- Rick Hasen
- Pamala Karlan
- Sherrilyn Ifill
- Dorothy Brown
- Tomiko Brown-Nagin
- Dorothy Roberts
- Claude Steele
- Beverly Tatum
- Charles McKinney
- Cornell Brooks
Symposium Details
Panels will include Criminal Justice, Voting Rights, Confronting Persistent Poverty and 21st Century Activism. Topics covered will include housing, education, voting rights, equal opportunity employment and the criminal justice system, and how they affect the rights we still fight for.
Registration and check-in will start at 8am on April 2, followed by opening remarks at 8:45am. The day will wrap up by 5pm with concluding remarks. The panel sessions of the symposium will be held in the Continental Ballroom of the Peabody Hotel, while the keynote luncheon will be held in the Grand Ballroom.
You can find a full schedule of events for the MLK50 remembrance on the events page of the MLK50 website.
You might also be interested in: Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis
