MLK Week

Every year, Susquehanna marks the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a weeklong slate of events that bring together the campus and local community through learning, music and faith. MLK Week begins with Winter Convocation, which officially marks the start of the spring semester.

Winter Convocation is our premier event honoring Dr. King, and a guest speaker ties the legacy of the civil rights movement to current events. Past speakers and performers have included co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, LaTosha Brown, actor Bryan Terrell Clark, professional football player Michael Sam, journalist and human rights activist Charlayne Hunter-Gault, civil rights activist and author Mary Frances Berry and others.

Additionally, MLK Week includes a day of teaching, day of service and interfaith service that brings together students, faculty and staff of all faith backgrounds to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.

A Day of Teaching Schedule


Image of 2023 MLK Week speaker Autumn Rose Miskweminanocsqua Williams.

2023 Guest Speaker: Autumn Rose Miskweminanocsqua Williams 

Activist and former Miss Native American USA

Weber Chapel Auditorium

Monday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m.

Miskweminanocsqua Williams was born and raised on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, New York. Being immersed in her culture from birth has given her pride in her Black and Indigenous heritage and is the foundation for the work she does today.

She has served the Administration for Native Americans to help champion issues related to Indigenous communities within the lower 48, Alaska and across the Pacific Region, including Hawaii, American Sāmoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Miskweminanocsqua Williams currently works for ICF Next as a multicultural communications specialist, advocating for the vast range of Native American communities. A former Miss Native American USA, she is a plus-size model, which allows her to face her body image issues head-on and amplify her message of self-love and empowerment.

Join Us for More Events

Days of Service 

Tuesday, Jan. 24 – Friday, Jan. 27 

Mellon Lounge, Charles B. Degenstein Campus Center

This is an opportunity for students to thank Susquehanna’s “unsung heroes” in campus safety, dining services and facilities.

Justice and Belonging – An Interfaith Service

4:15 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 23

Stretansky Concert Hall, Cunningham Center for Music and Art

This celebration brings together student speakers and community leaders from diverse religious, spiritual and secular traditions.

Justice and Belonging, A Day of Teaching: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023

Susquehanna University’s MLK Day of Teaching is an effort to model civil discourse and to promote the work of justice, affirming the rights of all to dignity, equity, and inclusion. The Day of Teaching is also meant to cultivate brave spaces: spaces in which conflict or disagreement can emerge but these moments are treated as opportunities to share authentically, listen actively, and engage respectfully without putting up harmful defenses, issuing dangerous generalizations, or creating us/them barriers that prevent learning. In accordance with the university’s statement on diversity and inclusiveness, we will include sessions that represent the breadth of human experiences and that demonstrate the critical awareness “of the ways power and privilege influence practices, processes, and relationships.” Each session is intended to be participatory and committed to fostering engagement and open dialogue.

8 a.m.

10:45 a.m.

1:15 p.m.

3:15 p.m.

SU Choir sings at Winter Convocation

Winter Convocation

This tradition officially marks the opening of the spring semester and commemorates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Inclusive Excellence

We seek a campus community that reflects the rich diversity of humanity with the full participation of those who represent the breadth of human differences.