Former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch spoke at the 37th annual UNC Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Lecture and Award Ceremony as the keynote speaker for the event.
The lecture was originally scheduled for Jan. 18 as part of the MLK Week of Celebration, but due to University closure caused by snow, the event was rescheduled for Monday night.
The Greensboro native was chosen as this year’s keynote speaker by the University's MLK Celebration Committee for the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration.
Junior Sophia McFarlane is the MLK Celebration Coordinator and helped bring Lynch to the event. McFarlane, along with representatives from campus organizations involved with the event, said they chose Lynch in a unanimous decision due to the insights she is able to provide through her identity and life experiences.
“We chose Loretta because we wanted an intersectional approach to Dr. King’s vision,” McFarlane said. “So, we wanted someone who identifies with multiple identities, so as a black woman, she has navigated both fields, as well as with her experience in the political atmosphere.”
Lynch’s speech followed a film highlighting the experiences of UNC students of color, which was created by students Kipp Williams and Hannah Motley, as well as the presentations of the MLK Scholarship and the presentation of the MLK Unsung Hero Award.
Her speech reflected on the work of Martin Luther King Jr., and his appreciation of the work of young people while expressing her own appreciation for the efforts of younger generations in making change.
“Wherever we see major social change, we see young people at the heart of it,” Lynch said. “Whenever we see social justice movements, they’re led by young people. And usually, young people, all of you, are the true catalysts for that change.”
She went on to address the cycles of history that challenge each generation to respond, focusing not only on younger generations, but every generation. Lynch called on all of them to respond to these challenges.
