Wake Forest, WSSU host celebration in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Each year, Wake Forest 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: A Dream Deferred.”

On Monday, Jan. 16, comedian, political commentator, radio show host and actor, D.L. Hughley will present the 17th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day keynote speech at 7 p.m. in K.R. Williams Auditorium at Winston-Salem State University. The event is free and open to the public.

Earlier in the evening, Wake Forest will host an invitation-only banquet where students and faculty/staff 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.

For more information on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. joint celebration, contact the Wake Forest Intercultural Center at 336-758-5864, or Winston-Salem State University Student Activities and Engagement at 336-750-3351.

Additional MLK Weekend Events

On Saturday, Jan. 14, Wake Forest University will host the seventh annual MLK Day Read-In in the Benson University Center, Room 401 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event is being organized by Girl Talk Triad Chapter, HandsOn Northwest North Carolina, Salem College, UNC School of the Arts, Wake Forest, and Winston-Salem State University. The Read-In promotes King’s legacy of service, literacy and community empowerment to children ages 4-10. Parents and guardians are requested to fill out the following online or paper-based forms. For additional information, please contact Kyle Gassaway at 336-724-2866 or kylegassaway@handsonnwnc.org.

On Sunday, Jan. 15, Wake Forest will host the 12th Annual GospelFest at 3 p.m. in Brendle Recital Hall, Scales Fine Arts Center. This year the Intercultural Center will host Gospel recording artist Kierra “KiKi” Sheard and the Wake Forest University Gospel Choir.

Tickets are available at https://wfugospelfest17.eventbrite.com. For more information on GospelFest, contact the Wake Forest Intercultural Center at 336-758-5864.