Justice Leona Theron of South Africa to speak at MLK Community Breakfast Jan. 16
January 5, 2026
Leona Theron, a judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, will be the keynote speaker at Furman University’s 2026 MLK Community Breakfast.
The breakfast begins at 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, in the Younts Conference Center on Furman’s campus. The program features performances by the Furman University and Clemson University gospel ensembles, with remarks from Furman President Elizabeth Davis, Joeph Vaughn Scholar and health sciences major Amiya Young ’26, and Director of Community Relations, Outreach and Impact Chandra Dillard.
Each year, Furman invites the community to join students, faculty and staff in honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Tickets are available for $50 per person and $400 for a table of eight. Registration is requested by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13.
Proceeds support the Furman Black Alumni Council Scholarship. This year’s theme is “Building the Beloved Community through Democracy and Discourse.”
Theron will join Furman students, faculty and staff the day before for a fireside chat at 5 p.m. Jan. 15 in the Watkins Room of the Trone Student Center for the Cultural Life Program “Law and Leadership Worldwide: An Evening with Justice Theron.”
In 1999, Theron was appointed to the KwaZulu-Natal Division of South Africa’s High Court, becoming the division’s first Black, female judge and the youngest judge in the country. In 2010 she became the youngest member of the Supreme Court of Appeal, before being appointed a justice in the country’s highest court in 2017.
Theron is known for her leading judgments and defense of women’s rights, as well as her work in administrative law and children’s rights. She’s received numerous awards for her contributions to the development of justice in South Africa, and is a sought-after speaker, globally. She’s also an avid hiker who has summited Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.
The MLK Breakfast is one of several Furman events honoring King’s legacy. Other activities include:
MLK Jr. Scholarship Celebration: Noon, Jan. 10, Younts Conference Center – Jazz lunch featuring artist Jamier Wright. For details visit [email protected], click here to register
MLK Day of Service: 12:30 p.m., Jan. 19, Trone Student Center Watkins Room – contact Meredithe Carr at [email protected] for information
MLK Jr. Youth Program and Rudolph Gordon College Fair: 10 am. Feb. 7, Trone Student Center Watkins Room – contact Bobby Clark at [email protected] or 864-441-9067
For more information, please contact Amy Joye in the Alumni Office at 1-800-PURPLE3, and [email protected].
Release is online:
https://tinyurl.com/yz2z5f7s
