Glen Ellyn pastor will talk about carrying forward MLK’s dream at Elmhurst University

The Rev. James Shannon, pastor of Peoples Community Church in Glen Ellyn, will present “The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.,” this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Intercultural Lecture at Elmhurst University.

Baptized at the age of 12 by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Shannon has spent his life working to fulfill King’s dream, through his ministry and as an advocate for education and fair housing.

Shannon was 7 years old and living in Montgomery, Alabama, when the civil rights leader first came to his church, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, to become its pastor.

Inspired by King, Shannon went on to become a public schoolteacher in Chicago, and to serve for 25 years with the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities. One of the first fair housing organizations in the country, the council was founded as a result of King’s Chicago Freedom Movement in 1966.

Among his many accomplishments at the Leadership Council, Shannon trained more than 4,000 real estate agents on fair housing laws and practices, and directed more than 500 homebuyer workshops.

He established the Peoples Community Church in 2007 and has been serving as its full-time pastor since 2013. Shannon also serves on the Glenbard District 87 school board.

This year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Intercultural Lecture begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the Frick Center Founders Lounge, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst.

Admission is free but reservations are encouraged, at elmhurst.edu/Cultural.

The intercultural lectures and other diverse cultural programming at Elmhurst University support community engagement and lifelong learning, and prepare students to thrive as adaptive leaders. For more information, email marketing@elmhurst.edu.