American Library Association Keynote on January 25, 2021

I am honored to announce that on Monday, January 25 at 10:00-11:00 a.m., I will be the keynote speaker (virtually) for the 22nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance and Sunrise Celebration to be held during the American Library Association (ALA) Virtual Midwinter Meeting. The event is being co-hosted by the ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services; Social Responsibilities Round Table; Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force; and Black Caucus of the American Library Association.

Alongside my talk, the event will feature readings from the works of Dr. King and a call-to-action delivered by Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress and past ALA President.

The theme of the event is “The Other America,” named after a Martin Luther King Jr. speech of the same title that was delivered in 1967 at Stamford University. The speech described two different realities faced by American citizens: one that is “overflowing with the milk of prosperity and the honey of opportunity," and another that “has a daily ugliness about it that constantly transforms the ebulliency of hope into the fatigue of despair.”

The virtual keynote will be livestreamed on ALA's YouTube Channel.

For more information about the American Library Association’s Virtual Midwinter Meeting, visit 2021.alamidwinter.org.