Nazareth’s annual MLK Commemoration features keynote speaker Simeon Banister on Jan. 16

Nazareth commemorates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with a special program that is open to the public. Keynote speaker Simeon Banister, leader of the Rochester Area Community Foundation and the Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, will speak on the theme Roots for Change: Approaches to Social Justice Action. The MLK commemoration takes place in the Nazareth College Arts Center’s Callahan Theater. A livestream is also offered. 

Prior to the event, workshops are available for the campus community at 10:30 a.m.; students, faculty, and staff may choose from a choice of workshops to learn how the community is taking action on health, housing, or education injustices. Classes are suspended for a two-hour block that morning so that students, faculty, and staff may all attend. 

Banister is president and chief executive officer of Rochester Area Community Foundation. He is the president of the Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. His career spans across the public and private sectors, having worked for the New York State Senate, the state Department of Taxation and Finance, the State University of New York, and several private commercial real estate firms. Simeon earned his undergraduate degree in political science at North Carolina Central University and his master’s of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. He serves on the boards of the University of Rochester Medical Center, the Congressional Award Foundation, The Children’s Agenda, and the Genesee Land Trust. 

Nazareth students, faculty, and staff are also invited to join the RochesterCares King for a Day service event on Saturday, January 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nazareth participants will join those from other area colleges at East High School for a kick-off celebration, then travel to one of many community service sites.

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2023 January
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