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Celebrating the life and legacy

MLK Commemoration

The Northwestern University community celebrates Dr. King with an expanded special commemoration including events and projects throughout the month to inspire reflection on Dr. King's life and legacy.

MLK Commemoration 2026 Keynote Panel: Our Beloved Community

The MLK Commemoration 2026 Keynote will feature a panel of experts comprised of Northwestern faculty and community leaders. The panel will be moderated by Sylvester Johnson (Chair and Professor of Black Studies, Northwestern University), in conversation with Leslie Harris (Professor of History, Northwestern University), Kate Masur (John D. MacArthur Professor of History, Northwestern University), Morris “Dino” Robinson (Production Manager, Northwestern Press and Founder, Shorefront Legacy Center), and Laurice Bell (Executive Director, Shorefront Legacy Center). The Keynote will break down the concept, practice and possibilities of “Beloved Community” and be livestreamed from the Evanston Campus to Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

When: January 20, 2026 at 5:00pm CST, with a reception to follow

Where: Mary B Galvin Recital Hall,
70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208

Event is free and open to the public!

Livestream of 2026 Keynote Panel

The livestream will begin on Tuesday, January 20 at 4:59 p.m. CST. If you do not see the live stream by 5:00 p.m., please refresh your browser. If you're having difficulty viewing the primary stream, try the backup stream [link forthcoming]. The video will be available to watch live here.

2025 MLK Candlelight Vigil Recording

Unmaking Segregation Recording

MLK Commemoration Keynote Recording

2026 Events

MLK Candlelight Vigil

Keynote Speaker: Pastor Charlie Dates

Dr. Charlie Dates serves as the Senior Pastor of both Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago and the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago. Dr. Dates earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and Rhetoric at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and both a Master of Divinity Degree and PhD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He successfully defended his dissertation for the PhD in Historical Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His original research focuses on the burden of black preaching in late 20th Century Chicago.

A fierce advocate for justice rooted in righteousness, Dr. Dates is the founder of several initiatives including the Progressive Center for Counseling & Justice, a hub for trauma-informed care and systemic transformation; the Black Boy Literacy Campaign, a bold citywide movement to help 1,000 Black boys reach grade-level reading by age 10; and the Spend in the Black Commerce Corridor, which channels strategic investment into Black-owned businesses on Chicago’s South Side.

January 18, 2026
2:00pm CST
Alice Millar Chapel (and livestreamed)
1870 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208

Event is free and open to the public.

Eva Jefferson Day Event

Northwestern students will lead a program of arts and discussion about the legacy of Dr. King for Family Focus Evanston students. This year's theme is 'Beloved Children'.

*NOTE - This event is open only to participants of Family Focus Evanston

Future Archive: Our Beloved Community

The Office of Community Enrichment invites you to help shape the Future Archive: Our Beloved Community—a digital, community-built record of imagination, play, and care. This archive isn’t just about remembering where we’ve been; it’s about preserving what we need now and in the future to create and maintain communities where all people are respected, cared for, and treated as equals.

Submit to the Future Archive

What We Carry Workshops

During MLK Week, we pause to remember not only what Dr. King stood for, but also what each of us carries forward in service of a more just and compassionate world.

What We Carry is a personal archive kit — a small envelope filled with simple materials and powerful prompts designed to help you reflect on your life, labor, and values. It’s a space to notice the everyday moments that shape who you are and who we are together.

This project invites you to begin archiving not just what happened, but how it felt to show up, to care, to stretch, to struggle, to keep going. It affirms that your story — your perspective, your labor, your growth — is part of our beloved community and worth preserving.

And if you’d like to share what emerged, join us for an optional Restorative Circle, where we’ll reflect together on what we’ve been holding — and what has been holding us.

Evanston Campus: January 27, 2026
1:30pm CST
Office of Community Enrichment
1800 Sherman Avenue Suite 5-200, Evanston, IL 60201

Event is free and open to the Northwestern community.