Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration
The University at Buffalo has established a proud tradition of celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by programming an annual Commemoration in his honor.
Past Speakers List
- 1976 - George K. Arthur, Buffalo Common Council
- 1977 - John Conyers, Jr., US Congressman, (Michigan - 14th District) (introduced legislation to make MLK Birthday a National Holiday)
- 1978 - Leonard Spearman, US Ambassador
- 1984 - Althea Simmons, Secretary for Training NAACP (in 1960's)
- 1986 - Samuel Proctor, One of the deans of preaching in the African American church; Author
- 1987 - William Gray III, Former US Congressman (PA- 2nd District), President & CEO UNCF
- 1988 - Leon Higginbotham, Jurist, teacher and leader in the civil rights movement
- 1989 - John Lewis, US Congressman (Georgia - 5th District)
- 1990 - Reatha Clark King, President of Metropolitan State University
- 1991 - Helen Edmonds, Educator, North Carolina Central University
- 1992 - Morris Dees, Founder Southern Poverty Law Center
- 1993 - Derek Walcott, Nobel Prize Winner - Literature
- 1994 - Bernice King, Daughter of MLK Jr. & Minister
- 1995 - Harry Belafonte, Jr., Entertainer, Civil Rights Activist, Humanitarian
- 1996 - Danny Glover and Felix Justice, Award Winning Actors
- 1997 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA Hall-of-Famer
- 1998 - KRS-ONE (a.k.a. Kris Parker), Musician (Rapper), Activist
- 1999 - Martin Luther King III, Son of MLK Jr. & President Southern Christian Leadership Conf.
- 2000 - Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., Internationally Renowned Lawyer
- 2001 - Sidney Poitier, Oscar-winning Actor, Director & Author
- 2002 - Stephen L. Carter, Yale Law Professor & Scholarly Author
- 2003 - Mae Jemison, Astronaut, Physician, Engineer and Entrepreneur
- 2004 - Kweisi Mfume & J.C. Watts, Former Congressmen and Social Activists
- 2005 - Michael Eric Dyson, Best-selling Author, Distinguished Professor and Baptist Minister
- 2006 - Tavis Smiley - Host, The Tavis Smiley Show on PBS and from PRI
- 2007 - Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate and Green Belt Movement Founder
- 2008 - Harold Ford, Jr. – Former Member of US Congress; Chair, Democratic Leadership Council
- 2009 - Donna Brazile – Chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute
- 2010 - Cornel West – Scholar, Public Intellectual and Best-Selling Author
- 2011 - Cory Booker – Mayor of Newark, New Jersey