Nationally recognized attorney and educator Junius Williams will lead a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Vermont Law School with his keynote address, "Dr. King as I Knew Him." The celebration, open to the public and press, will take place from 12:45 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, in Chase Community Center on the VLS campus.
For decades Williams has been at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement and human rights in the United States. His life is chronicled in the Civil Rights History Project, a collaborative initiative between the Library of Congress and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution, and is featured on C-SPAN.
"We are honored to welcome civil rights leader Junius Williams to Vermont Law School and hope our Vermont neighbors will join us in celebrating Dr. King's legacy," said Shirley Jefferson, associate dean for student affairs and diversity at VLS. "Mr. Williams' passion for justice is inspirational, and his stories and music energize and empower listeners across generations."
Through words and song, Williams takes audiences from the Civil Rights Movement in the South to the Black Power Movement in the North, and from the election of the nation's first black mayors to current multiracial urban leadership. He challenges audiences to understand the causes behind youth violence, the myth behind the "War on Drugs," and school reform that benefits some but not all. Finally, Williams inspires diverse audiences to consider a new paradigm for solving urban problems.
Williams sings and plays harmonica as he celebrates with audiences the rich cultural heritage of American music, from Negro spirituals to blues, jazz, gospel, and hip hop.
As the youngest president of the National Bar Association, the oldest and largest organization of black attorneys in the U.S., Williams spoke at the United Nations, advocating for democracy on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe. He was listed as one of the "100 Most Influential Blacks in America" by Ebony magazine, ran for mayor of Newark, and now teaches leadership and community organization at Rutgers University. Williams' lessons helped shape his new book, "Unfinished Agenda, Urban Politics in the Era of Black Power." Copies of the book will be available for purchase at VLS.
For more information about the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Vermont Law School, or about student affairs and diversity at VLS, email Associate Dean Shirley Jefferson at sjefferson@vermontlaw.edu or call 802-831-1333. For more information about VLS news and events, visit vermontlaw.edu/news-and-events.
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