MLK Award Dinner to be Held Feb. 24

The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission (GSMLKC) will hold its annual celebration on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. in McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at The University of Scranton.

The theme of this year’s dinner is “The MARCH Continues: A New Era in Peaceful Activism,” which highlights Dr. King’s philosophy of facilitating cultural and legislative change using non-violent means. Award-winning author Andrew Aydin, who co-wrote the MARCH trilogy graphic novels with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, will be the keynote speaker. University of Scranton theology professor Joel B. Kemp, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker.

Award-winning author Andrew Aydin, who co-wrote the MARCH trilogy graphic novels with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, will be the keynote speaker. University of Scranton theology professor Joel B. Kemp, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker.

The MARCH trilogy is a series of graphic novels about the Civil Rights Movement as told through the perspective of Congressman Lewis. The books are illustrated by Nate Powell. The Best- Selling books have won numerous awards, including the National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2016), Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Winner (2017) and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award Special Recognition (2014).

Aydin, who serves as digital director and policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Lewis is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford and Georgetown University. His master’s thesis is about the history and impact of Martin Luther King and the Montgomery story. He also serves as a national project advisor to the National Endowment for the Humanities for “The Great Stories Club: Reading and Discussion for At-Risk Youth.”

Dr. Kemp joined the faculty at Scranton in 2017 as assistant professor of theology/religious studies.  He previously taught at Boston College, where he completed a doctorate in theology. He earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and American history from Harvard College, a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School.  In addition to teaching theology, Dr. Kemp was also a practicing attorney for more than a decade. His areas of scholarly interest include African American appropriations of scripture, the relationship between race, religion and law within American society, and the use of the Bible in popular culture.

Tickets for this event are $25 and can be reserved at safdn.org/mlk-event, or by contacting Jennifer Pennington at the University’s Office of Equity and Diversity by email at jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu or by phone at 570-941-6645.