Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Day

The Babson community honors and reflects upon the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. every year.

This event is a celebration of Dr. King—and of the many Black leaders who continue to push for the realization of King’s vision of justice, equality, and peace today. It inspires conversations about how all of us can, and should, support this work in meaningful ways. This event is being sponsored by the Office of Belonging & Inclusion and the MLK Committee.

2026 event infomation coming soon.

Dr. Regine Jean-Charles

2025 Keynote Speaker

Dr. Regine Jean-Charles, the Dean’s Professor of Culture and Social Justice as well as director of Africana Studies at Northeastern University, is a Black feminist literary scholar who works at the intersections of race, gender, and justice from a global perspective. She has authored over 30 publications and is a regular contributor to media outlets such as Ms. Magazine, The Boston Globe, WGBH, America Magazine, and Cognoscenti on WBUR. Dr. Jean-Charles’s activist work has been with A Long Walk Home, Inc., a non-profit organization that uses art to educate, inspire, and mobilize young people to end violence against girls and women.

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Previous Speakers

Babson College has proudly hosted impressive keynote speakers for its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Day event. Below is a list of previous speakers as well as the themes they focused on in their talks.

Wes Woodson

Mental Health Advocate Keynote Speaker at 21st Annual MLK Jr. Legacy Day

Wesley Woodson, is a renowned public speaker, mental health advocate, and published author of the book I have Anxiety (so what?). Wes is also the founder and chief storyteller of Wes Woodson Enterprises, a mental health education company on a mission to elevate the world’s self-esteem. As a Babson alum, Wes has chosen a career of humanity by helping others discover the power of self-acceptance in the face of mental health challenges. Through sharing his own story of learning the art of self-acceptance while living with social anxiety, he empowers others to believe the compassionate truth: I AM ENOUGH.

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2021

Theme: Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?
Speaker: Farah Bernier MBA’08

2020

Theme: A Chance In the World for All
Speaker: Steve Pemberton

2019

Theme: The Winding Road Toward Justice and Equality
Speaker: Mónica Ramírez

2018

Theme: Tearing Hatred from the Sky
Speaker: Bree Newsome

2017

Theme: History Under Assault
Speaker: Thomas Chatterton Williams

2016

Theme: Eavesdropping on America’s Conversation on Race
Speaker: Michele Norris

2015

Theme: Resegregation in Post–Civil Rights America
Speaker: Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad

2014

Theme: Globalization in the Prison Industrial Complex
Speaker: Angela Davis

2013

Theme: Race and the Persistence of Social Inequality in Contemporary America
Speaker: Ta-Nehisi Coates

2012

Theme: The Quest for Equality: Empathy and Global Justice in a Divided World
Speaker: Rinku Sen

2011

Theme: Sustaining King’s Legacy: Social Justice through a Green Economy
Speaker: Van Jones

2010

Theme: American Culture and the Pursuit of Justice in a Global Society
Speaker: Patricia Williams

2009

Theme: The New Activism: Power, Global Citizenship, and the Path to Equality
Speaker: Kevin Powell

2008

Theme: Freedom and Self-Determination in the Global Era
Speaker: John Edgar Wideman

2007

Theme: Economic Disparity and Race: A Necessary Redress
Speaker: Naomi Tutu

2006

Theme: 50 Years After Montgomery: Is the Dream Deferred, Diluted, or Fulfilled?
Speaker: Juan Williams

2005

Theme: Micro-lending: Banker to the Poor
Speaker: Muhammad Yunus

2004

First Annual MLK Legacy Day
Speaker: Julianne Malveaux

Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Awards

These awards honor members of the Babson community who reflect Dr. King’s principles in philosophy and action. A recipient is awarded in each of the following five categories: undergraduate student, graduate student, faculty member, staff member, and alum—groups and organizations can qualify. Babson has bestowed these awards to honor and support Dr. King’s legacy since 2004.

View Winners

Award Criteria

The recipients of this award will have gone above and beyond the requirements of job responsibilities, organizational mission, or charter and will have raised the bar for those who follow in their footsteps. The recipient’s actions and behaviors in working either on or off campus for the betterment of the community will be in a manner consistent with the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Written nominations must clearly address how the nominee(s) have visibly demonstrated:

Courage and conviction in valuing differences
Commitment to “seeing beyond borders” through an inclusive approach
Acceptance of challenge and risk in achieving goals for the greater good
Compassion for humanity

View the complete list of previous winners.

Award-Winner Aaron Walton Leads a Beautiful Disruption

“We’re living in this era of intersections. When you surround yourself with people who aren’t like you, the IQ of the group becomes stronger and bigger ... We have to have the courage and collide, to go out and try something that we’ve never done before.”

Aaron Walton ’83
MLK Jr. Leadership Award ’20
Co-founder & CEO, Walton Isaacson
Babson’s First Black Male Student Government Association President

Learn More About Aaron's Story

Creativity Contest

One of the cornerstones of Dr. King’s legacy is his call for civic participation and the fight to counter voter suppression. We invite current undergraduate and graduate students to submit creative works made in response to our prompts, updated annually and related to voting rights and access. Creative work may take the form of a nonfiction essay, sculpture, poem, short story, painting, photograph, spoken word performance, or other creative form. Winners will be announced during the celebration.