Furman’s MLK Community Breakfast hosts political strategist L. Joy Williams
December 18, 2024
L. Joy Williams, a long-time political strategist and creator and host of the podcast “Sunday Civics,” will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 MLK Community Breakfast at Furman University with a talk addressing “Democracy in Action: Unleashing the Might of Political Participation.”
The breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, with the program beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Younts Conference Center on Furman’s campus. FUGE, the Furman University Gospel Ensemble, will perform. Others scheduled to deliver remarks are Furman University President Elizabeth Davis and Senior Pastor Reggie Garrett ’98 of Jubilee Baptist Church.
The annual event is an opportunity for the community to join Furman students, faculty and staff to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tickets ($50 per person, $400 for a table of eight) are available here, https://tinyurl.com/4n457r93. Proceeds support the Joseph Vaughn Scholarships at Furman.
This year, Williams will participate in a new Cultural Life Program for students on the evening before the breakfast. She will join Teresa Cosby, professor of politics and international affairs, in a “fireside chat” to discuss “Black Political Activism in the Age of Trump.”
Williams, a regular commentator on MSNBC and NY1, is the president of the Brooklyn, New York, NAACP. She is a legislative coordinator for the New York State NAACP Conference of Branches, where she helped pass the New York John Lewis Voting Rights Act and establish a commission on reparations.
As a political strategist, she has assisted in the campaigns of Nina Turner for Ohio secretary of state, Stacy Abrams for governor of Georgia and Cynthia Nixon for governor of New York. Williams is also an active public speaker and has participated in panels at the NAACP National Convention and SXSW. She was a featured speaker at the Women’s Freedom Conference, the first all-digital conference completely organized by women of color.
The MLK Breakfast at Furman is one of several events honoring King. Other activities include:
- MLK Day of Reflection and Service sponsored by the Heller Service Corps at Furman, Monday, Jan. 20, 10 a.m. in the Trone Student Center. Contact Meredithe Carr for more information, [email protected] or 864-294-2417.
- The Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Program and Rudolph Gordon College Fair hosted by Furman and Alpha Phi Alpha. Saturday, Feb. 1, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Trone Student Center at Furman. Contact [email protected] or 864-441-9067.
- The Joseph Vaughn Oratorical Contest on Saturday, March 29, starting at 10 a.m. at Wade Hampton High School. Contact [email protected] or 864-441-9067.
