Celebrating Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Day
40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration: A Call to Courageous Community Action
Inspired by the King Center's 2026 theme, Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way, this year’s focus is a dynamic Community Conversation designed to point the community boldly forward. The conversation will center on translating this powerful national theme into tangible action within the local community, focusing on collaboration, equity and sustainable change.
Join us for a panel discussion and community conversation on unity, action and Kingian nonviolence.
When: January 19, 2026 | 6 - 7:30 pm
Where: Wealthy Theater or live streamed
There is no charge to participate or registration needed.
Celebration and Silent March
Join us as we continue to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Richard Pappas will kick things off with opening remarks, followed by a conversation-style Q&A with keynote speaker, NCAAP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson. We will also recognize the winners of the annual MLK Day essay contest and will conclude the celebration with a silent march.
When: January 20, 2026 | 2:00 pm
Where: Sneden Auditorium | W.A. Lettinga Campus or live streamed
Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of NAACP
Derrick Johnson is a longstanding member and leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and has helped guide the association through a period of re-envisioning and reinvigoration.
He has served as President and CEO of the NAACP for the past eight years and formerly served as vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors and is a former president of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP.
Under Johnson’s leadership, the NAACP has undertaken such efforts as the 2018 “Log Out” Facebook Campaign; the “Jamestown to Jamestown Partnership,” marking the 400th year enslaved Africans first touched the shores of America; and the 2020 “We are Done Dying” campaign, exposing the inequities embedded into the American health care system and the country at large.
Johnson continues to be on the frontlines on some of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time and is a veteran activist who has dedicated his career to defending the rights and improving the lives of Mississippians.
As president of the NAACP Mississippi State Conference, he led critical campaigns for voting rights and equitable education. He successfully managed two bond referendum campaigns in Jackson, MS that brought $150 million for school building improvements and $65 million towards the construction of a new convention center. As a regional organizer at the Jackson-based non-profit, Southern Echo, Inc., Johnson provided legal, technical and training support for communities across the South.
Born in Detroit, Johnson attended Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS. and received his JD from the South Texas College of Law in Houston, TX. Johnson furthered his training through fellowships with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the George Washington University School of Political Management and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He has served as an annual guest lecturer at Harvard Law School and as an adjunct professor at Tougaloo College. Johnson is frequently featured on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, advocating on behalf of the Black community and all those who are affected by systemic oppression and prejudice.
