Fairfield University will welcome award-winning author and educator Robin D.G. Kelley, PhD, for the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

The convocation is free and open to the public. The theme this year for Fairfield’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. observance is “'The Wrong Side of the World Revolution': King’s Internationalism and the Lessons for Today.”

Dr. Kelley is the Gary B. Nash Professor of American History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Kelley’s research explores the history of social movements in the U.S., the African Diaspora, and Africa; Black intellectuals; music and visual culture; surrealism, Marxism, and more. His essays have appeared widely in publications including the Journal of American History, American Historical Review, The New York Times, Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noir, Counterpunch, and Boston Review, for which he also serves as contributing editor.

Dr. Kelley has written several prize-winning books, including Yo’ Mama’s Disfunktional!: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America (1997) and Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (2009). He has published numerous other books and edited volumes including Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class (1994), Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination (Beacon Press, 2002), and Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times (2012).

His current book projects include Black Bodies Swinging: An American Postmortem (Metropolitan Books), a genealogy of the Black Spring protests of 2020; and a biography of Texas-born journalist Grace Halsell.

The 2022 Vision Award recipients — individuals who demonstrate a commitment to the ideals and values of Dr. King — will be honored, as will the winners of the annual essay contest for middle school students. This year’s Vision Awards are being presented to Sonya Huber, associate professor of English; Nakia Letang, associate director of multicultural admissions; Kenneth Smith, mailroom assistant; undergraduate Mahfouz Soumare '21 and graduate student Nat Bush. 

In addition to the Convocation, a week of programming to celebrate the life and influence of the late Dr. King will be held in February, including: a civic reflection, live discussions, and more.

Join the Fairfield University community as we host Robin D.G. Kelley, PhD, for the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. The convocation is free and open to the public. For complete information and to register, visit fairfield.edu/mlk.