Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Convocation

Keynote speaker: BLACK KLANSMAN author Ron Stallworth

Thursday, 24 Jan 2019 at 7:00 pm – Sun Room, Memorial Union

Join us for Iowa State’s university-wide celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s program features keynote speaker Ron Stallworth, whose extraordinary story of being a black detective who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan is the subject of Spike Lee’s recent movie BlacKkKlansman. As the first black detective in the history of the Colorado Springs Police Department, Stallworth overcame fierce racial hostility to achieve a long and distinguished career in law enforcement. It was in 1978 that he responded to a KKK recruitment ad using his real name while posing as a white man. With the help of a partner standing in as the "white" Ron Stallworth, he was able to sabotage cross burnings and expose members of the white supremacist group. Stallworth will discuss the months-long investigation and Black Klansman, the memoir he subsequently wrote to share his experiences of a deeply divided America.

The Advancing One Community Awards will be awarded prior to the keynote address.
Other events featured in the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Series include:

Let Freedom Ring - Carillon Concert
Wednesday, January 16, 11:50 am, Central Campus
A carillon concert in honor of Dr. King. Tin-Shi Tam, carillonneur.

Community Birthday Celebration
Monday, January 21, 6:00pm, Ames Middle School, 3915 Mortensen Road, Ames
Celebrate with song, story and birthday cake. An Ames tradition! After sharing birthday cake, the program begins at 6:30.

The Power of Knowing Your Purpose - Brittany Packet
Monday, January 28, 7:00 pm, Great Hall, Memorial Union
Brittany Packnett is a leader at the intersection of culture and justice. A former teacher, non-profit executive director, and Fellow at Harvard's Institute of Politics, she has been named one of TIME Magazine’s 12 New Faces of Black Leadership and honored at the 2018 BET Awards as "one of the fiercest activists of our time."

Cosponsored By:
  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Division of Student Affairs
  • First Amendment Days
  • Multicultural Student Affairs
  • University Library
  • Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)
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Stay for the entire event, including the brief question-and-answer session that follows the formal presentation. Most events run 75 minutes.

Sign-ins are after the event concludes. For lectures in the Memorial Union, go to the information desk in the Main Lounge. In other academic buildings, look for signage outside the auditorium.

Lecture Etiquette

  • Stay for the entire lecture and the brief audience Q&A. If a student needs to leave early, he or she should sit near the back and exit discreetly.
  • Do not bring food or uncovered drinks into the lecture.
  • Check with Lectures staff before taking photographs or recording any portion of the event. There are often restrictions. Cell phones, tablets and laptops may be used to take notes or for class assignments.
  • Keep questions or comments brief and concise to allow as many as possible.