Michael Eric Dyson to keynote Aurora's 40th annual MLK Jr. celebration
The city of Aurora is continuing a four-decades-long tradition of honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with the 40th annual MLK Ceremony on Monday, Jan. 20.
The 2025 theme is based on his fourth and final book, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” This year’s keynote speaker will be Michael Eric Dyson. The program will be at 6 p.m. at East Aurora High School, 500 Tomcat Lane.
The annual ceremony highlights the impact and influence of the iconic Civil Rights leader. It was founded by Aurora Youth Services Director Fred Rodgers and Aurora Alderwoman Scheketa Hart-Burns, who both passed away in 2023, and other community leaders.
A special tribute to both late founders will be a part of the 40th annual ceremony, along with remarks by dignitaries, youth and adult performances, and a presentation of the Donna J. Williams MLK Service Awards and the Services Above Self MLK Youth Awards.
In additon to serving as the Centennial Chair at Vanderbilt University, Dyson also serves as the university’s Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies in the College of Arts and Science and its Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society in the Divinity School. Dyson has also taught at other elite universities, such as Georgetown University as a sociology professor, Brown University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Columbia University, and The University of Pennsylvania.
A noted author of 21 books, including literary works about luminaries such as Barack Obama, Tupac Shakur, and Malcolm X, Dyson has written extensively about Dr. King and penned two books about his life and legacy. In his book, “I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King Jr.,” Dyson challenges the common portrayals of King, offering a more nuanced perspective that highlights King's radical critique of systemic inequality, poverty, and militarism.
His bestselling book “April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America” explores the profound impact of the assassination on the nation and the world, shedding light on how it altered the trajectory of the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing fight for racial justice.
Through his scholarship and public speaking, Dyson seeks to keep King's legacy alive while urging society to embrace the full depth of King's transformative vision.
Dyson's legendary ascent — from welfare father to Princeton Ph.D., from church pastor to college professor, from a factory worker who didn’t start college until he was 21 — may help explain why writer Naomi Wolf terms him “the ideal public intellectual of our time.”
The ceremony is free, but registration is required at www.aurora-il.org/MLK2025.
Service Above Self Awards
Nominate a student to receive the 2025 Service Above Self MLK Day Youth Award.
The annual awards are presented to Aurora students in elementary school, middle school, high school and college who are upholding Martin Luther King’s dedication to community service.
Students can be nominated for service projects at school and/or in the community. Nominations are due by Friday, Jan. 10, via www.aurora-il.org/MLK2025.