On Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in collaboration with the Honors College will host the Emporia State University Martin Luther King Jr. lecture series.
This year’s guest speaker will be former Ohio State Senator, Nina Turner. Turner offers a powerful narrative of overcoming adversity. She was the Democratic candidate for Ohio's Secretary of State in 2014 and more recently a national surrogate for Senator Bernie Sanders during the tumultuous 2016 Democratic presidential primary. She has been recognized by The Nation magazine, which in 2011 named her "Most Valuable State Senator," by The Root, which listed her as one of the top 100 most influential African-Americans in the United States in 2014, and by Cleveland's Inside Business Magazine as one of the Top 25 most powerful people in Northeast Ohio for 2015.
Turner will be speaking on the topic “The Dream is NOT deferred!” and how her own struggle through life (as a woman) and politics line up with Martin Luther King’s vision of the dream.
Turner's passionate advocacy has earned her regular appearances on national television and radio programs and accolades from numerous national organizations. Turner is currently a professor of history at Cuyahoga Community College and the Chair of Political Engagement at the Ohio Democratic Party.
Turner still lives in the same Cleveland community in which she grew up, with her husband of over 20 years, Jeffery, Sr. They are the parents of Jeffery, Jr., a local police officer and Second Lieutenant in the Ohio National Guard.
This event is free and open to the public. No ticket is required. The MLK Lecture will be held in the Skyline room on the second floor of the Memorial Union. Opening talks start at 6 p.m.