Dear Members of the Harvard Community,
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski III will deliver our inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture on Wednesday, October 12. The event, which will be held in Sanders Theatre and streamed live online, begins at 6:00 p.m. Tickets can be reserved here.
When I announced the lecture series earlier this year, I shared my hope that it would create a new way for Harvard to participate in a critical and ongoing national conversation about racial justice, equity, and opportunity. No voice in American higher education has been more persistent and prominent in that discussion than that of Dr. Hrabowski. His advocacy for inclusive excellence over thirty years as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County—best demonstrated through the phenomenal success of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program—continues to inspire extraordinary progress. Earlier this year, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program, a $1.5 billion effort to support early career faculty who are deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Dr. Hrabowski is a leader among leaders. Twelve years ago, he was awarded an honorary degree from Harvard. Now, we have another opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate his outstanding legacy of service. I hope you will join me in welcoming him back to campus next month.
All the best,
Larry
P.S. To learn more about the lecture series—and to nominate a speaker for 2023—please see here.