Date: April 7, 2026
On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Nearly sixty years later, our society has yet to see his vision of racial justice. Virginia Theological Seminary’s annual observance of Dr. King as one of the saints of the Church will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, April 8th and Thursday, April 9th. Full participation in these programs is required of all seminarians and faculty. Staff members are not required to participate but are warmly invited and encouraged to attend the events as they are able.
Though a bullet pierced Dr. King’s skin and silenced his voice, the liberation movement of which he was the best known prophet lived on. Indeed, it lives on today in the persistence of everyone who struggles against oppression and who works to cultivate a world in which all people can thrive. Thus, to remember Dr. King is not to remember a person long gone, but it is to embrace an opportunity to examine ourselves, our institutions, and our society.
This year’s guest speaker and preacher is the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
Thank you in advance for your faithful participation in this commemoration. It promises to be a meaningful moment for our community.
Ebonee Davis-Hayes
Director of Reparations
Office of Multicultural Ministries