12/10/2024

Dear Campus Community,

We are honored to announce this year’s guest speaker for the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will be the Rev. Dr. Leslie D. Braxton ’83, a renowned pastor, theologian, and social justice advocate.

Braxton is the founder and senior pastor of New Beginnings Christian Fellowship in Kent, Washington, a multi-ethnic congregation committed to both personal redemption and social justice. He has served as pastor of historic churches in Seattle and Buffalo and has taught at Seattle University and Bakke School of Theology. His life and work embody the spirit of Dr. King’s dream of equality and justice.

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
“Martin Luther King Jr.: A Model of Moral Leadership in an Immoral Empire”
Presented by Rev. Dr. Leslie Braxton
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Kilworth Memorial Chapel

Admission is free, but registration is required. Reserve your spot online or at the Logger Store in Wheelock Student Center.

Braxton is a passionate advocate for racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice. He was raised in Tacoma’s Hilltop District and is renowned for his ability to bridge personal redemption with social justice advocacy. As a preacher, professor, and community leader, he has dedicated his life to challenging systems of inequality while uplifting individuals and communities. He is also the visionary behind Songs of Black Folk, an annual Juneteenth musical production celebrating the evolution of African American music and culture.

This event is hosted by the Office of Institutional Equity & Diversity in collaboration with the Swope Endowed Lectures, made possible by an endowment established in honor of Puget Sound alumna Jane Hammer Swope, Class of 1942. These lectures bring significant voices to campus to explore themes of faith, ethics, values, and religion in society.

We hope you will join us for this special evening as we celebrate the powerful legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sincerely,

Lorna Hernandez Jarvis | Vice President for Institutional Equity & Diversity

David Wright '96 | University Chaplain