Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner Past Speakers
Continue to main contentHonoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 2006, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest son, Martin Luther King III, came to Southeast as the keynote speaker of a celebration dinner, which initiated a new tradition. This tradition continues to garner growing involvement by students and the public. Each year since, the dinner hosts a special guest speaker to further celebrate the occasion and here you will find a list of some of our previous distinguished speakers.
Past Speakers
2006 - Human Rights Advocate and Political Leader
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of MLK III](_images/mlk-iii-100x100.png)
2007 - Author and First Female Chair of the NAACP
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Myrlie Evers-Williams](_images/evers-williams-myrlie-100x100.png)
2008 - Coaches of “Remember the Titans”
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Herman Boone and Bill Yoast](_images/coach-art-100x100.png)
2009 - Best-Selling Author, Scholar, and Cultural Critic
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Michael Eric Dyson](_images/dyson-michael-eric-100x100.png)
![Photo of Christopher Gardner](_images/gardner-c-100x100.png)
2011 - Award-Winning Journalist and CNN Contributor
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Roland Martin](_images/martin-r-100x100.png)
2012 - First Elected African American Governor (Virginia)
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Douglas Wilder](_images/wilder-d-100x100.png)
2013 - Recording Artist, Singer/Songwriter, and Philanthropist
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of John Legend](_images/legend-john-100x100.png)
![Photo of Clarence B. Jones](_images/jones-clarence-100x100.png)
![Photo of Soledad O'Brien](_images/obrien-s-100x100.png)
![Photo of Wes Moore](_images/w-moore-100x100.png)
![Photo of Mary Berry](_images/berry-mary-100x100.png)
2018 - President of University of Maryland-Baltimore, Civil Rights Activist, and Educational Advocate
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski III](_images/hrabowski-freeman-100x100.png)
2019 - Journalist, Author, and CNN Contributor
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Marc Lamont Hill](_images/marc-lamont-hill-100x100.png)
2020 - Author, Educator, Social Justice Advocate, and Co-founder of Critical Resistance
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Angela Davis](_images/davis-angela-100x100.png)
2021 - Poet, Educator, and Best-Selling Author
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Nikki Giovanni](_images/giovanni-nikki-100x100.png)
![Photo of Brian Miller](_images/miller-brian-100x100.png)
2023 - SEMO Alumni, Social Justice Advocate, Community Leader
Martin Luther King Dinner Past Speaker
![Photo of Kendra Neely-Gage](_images/kendra-neely-martin-100x100.png)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
Thank you for your interest in attending this celebratory dinner! If you would like to purchase a ticket, table or sponsorship, please select one of the following options.
MLK Events
Contact Us
Phone
Email
Location
Office
Academic Hall 010 - 011
Mailing Address
One University Plaza, MS 3375
Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701
Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701