Spring is King 2025
To celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Tulane MLK Planning Committee has planned a series of events under a "Spring is King" umbrella to uplift Dr. King's message of racial justice, nonviolence, voting rights, and beloved community throughout the spring semester.
We are highlighting events in the metro-New Orleans area that we hope you will attend. We have also listed our Tulane-sponsored events, and we are excited for you to join us and keep the "Spring is King" theme going throughout the semester. Event details will be updated here as they are confirmed.
New Orleans Events
The city of New Orleans' theme for this year's Martin Luther King Day is "A Time to Break Silence: African Roots/American Fruits" to highlight the interconnectedness of African heritage and its profound impact on American culture, according to city officials.
2025 National Conference of Artists Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Art Exhibition
Rosa F. Keller Library and Community Center
January 11, 2025-March 31, 2025
Visit the New Orleans Public Library website for more information.
National Juried MLK Exhibition Opening Reception
Ashe Cultural Arts Center
January 18, 2025, 12:00 p.m.
Visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Exhibit website for more information.
Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Choral Concert
UNO University Center Ballroom
January 16, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Choral Concert
Holy Faith Temple Baptist Church
January 19, 2025, 12:00 p.m.
Tulane University Events
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom and Justice Awards Brunch
Kendall Cram Auditorium, the Lavin-Bernick Center
January 31, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
RSVP by Friday, January 10, 2025
Please join the Office of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, along with the Carolyn Barber-Pierre Center for Intercultural Life, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity, Newcomb Institute, and the Center for Public Service to hear from New Orleans Civil Rights Legend and Founder/Executive Director of the Leona Tate Foundation for Change, Dr. Leona Tate, to celebrate the message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr themed around the poem "I, Too, Sing America," by Langston Hughes.
The LGBTQ+ State of Research
February 11, 2025, 12:00pm
Executive Dining Room, Freeman School of Business
RSVP Coming Soon
Join The Office of EDI, the LGBTQ+ Research Collective, and CAIDS for a presentation on the current state of LGBTQ+ research in the U.S. Students, faculty, and staff welcome!
The Audre Lorde-Bayard Rustin QTBIPOC Luncheon
Diboll Gallery, The Newcomb Institute
February 13, 2025 11:30 a.m.
As we break bread, share community with one another, and honor our queer and trans BIPOC ancestors who uplifted justice and liberation in their lifetimes. We celebrate Audre Lorde's wisdom that the "transformation of silence and action is an act of revelation" and Bayard Rustin's reminder that "we need in every community a group of angelic troublemakers."
The New Orleans Civil Rights Legends and Contemporaries
Diboll Gallery, The Newcomb Institute
March 18, 2025, 12:00 p.m.
RSVP Coming Soon
Join us for a dynamic panel of New Orleans Civil Rights legends and contemporaries as they discuss the history of civil rights in our beloved city and the current work that is moving the vision of racial equity and justice forward in the city and nation.
The New Orleans Four Documentary Screening with Director Dierde Smith
Lake Hall Theater
March 24, 2025, 5:00 p.m.
RSVP Coming Soon
Be one of the first to see this documentary about the "New Orleans Four" in a forgotten chapter of American Civil Rights history where four young girls ignited a revolution that would reshape education in New Orleans and the Deep South. The New Orleans Four - Gail Etienne, Tessie Prevost, Ruby Bridges, and Leona Tate - made history as they walked into previously segregated schools under U.S. Marshal protection, breaking down barriers that had long divided their city.
Anti-Racism and EDI Teach-In
This session will be available via Zoom
April 4, 2025
Registration information coming soon
Join us for the 5th annual Anti-Racism and EDI Teach-In, where we explore evidence-based practices that ensure our living, learning, and working environments reflect our Tulane core values and uplift inclusive community for people from underrepresented racial groups.
The Center for Public Service Faculty and Staff Service Day
April 16, 2025
Location and RSVP information coming soon
Tulane’s motto, non sibi sed suis—not for one’s self, but for one’s own—embodies who we are as Tulanians. Inspired by our core values, faculty and staff come together annually for this Wave of Green Day of Service, hosted by the Center for Public Service. By engaging with the people and organizations of our local community, we aim to understand and improve the lives of those around us.
Tulane University Department Events
Cowboy Carter and Black Country Music's Past and Futures with Dr. Francesca Royster
Dixon Annex
February 4, 2025 5:30pm
RSVP here
Women & Movement #13 African American Women Affecting the Arts in New Orleans: Multi-hyphenate Hustlers: Cobbling Together an Arts Career
Dixon Annex
February 7, 2025 11:00am
Sponsored by Tulane's School of Liberal Arts and the Africana Studies Program. Organized by Dr. John "Ray" Proctor of the Tulane Department of Theatre and Dance and the Africana Studies program.
The Africana Studies Black Studies Book Club
Woldenberg Art Center
April 3, 2025 6:00pm
RSVP on Wavesync
The Africana Studies Black Studies Book Club
Location TBD
April 4, 2025 11:30am
RSVP Here
Tulane University Libraries Events
The Tulane University Libraries is holding a Series in February 2025 titled "Elevating the Visibility of Primary Sources for Black History." Contact Rachel Stein (rstein7@tulane.edu) for more information. All events will be held at the Howard Tilton Memorial Library (H-TML).
Getting Started with Ancestry for Black History Research
H-TML 430
February 3, 2025, 5:00 p.m.
Register for the Getting Started with Ancestry for Black History Research Workshop
Led by Kay P Maye, join the Scholarly Engagement Department of Tulane University Libraries to learn more about using Ancestry.com to find records about Black Americans.
Intentional Listening: Mardi Gras Indians
H-TML 430
February 17, 2025, 1:00 p.m.
RSVP for the Intentional Listening: Mardi Gras Indians session
Learn about the culture, history, and music making of Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans, and listen to traditional and contemporary sounds. This session will incorporate both audio recordings and rare archival materials representing the Wild Magnolias tribe.
Black Life and Love in 18th Century Louisiana
H-TML 430
February 19, 2025, 4:30 p.m.
Register for the Black Life and Love in 18th Century Louisiana workshop
Led by Chenise Calhoun, Cyntoya McCall, and Kaillee Coleman, explore and engage with Keywords for Black Louisiana, a digital project which uses the scholarship of Black feminist scholars, historians, and public intellectuals to center Black and Black-Native life in French and Spanish colonial archives dating from 1714 to 1803. These archival materials delve into the lived experiences of Black/Black Native people in colonial Louisiana. The judicial documents reveal stories of family, culture, labor, resistance, survival, and day-to-day life in the 18th century, providing insights into how Black individuals maintained dignity, identity, and kinship ties despite the oppressive system under which they lived. The workshop will provide historical context, explore the keywords employed in the project, and dive into a few stories, combining digital humanities with history and narration to foster clarity and excitement around discovering and discussing Black life and love in early Louisiana.
Navio Negreiro Poetry Reading and Latin American Library Collections Display
H-TML 430
February 21, 2025,4:30 p.m.
Register for the Navio Negreiro Poetry Reading
Join us for the annual Tulane University poetry reading of "O Navio Negreiro" ("The Slave Ship"). "O Navio Negreiro" is a classic piece by Brazilian abolitionist Castro Alves describing the middle passage. The reading will be done in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and-for the first time this year-Haitian Creole. The event will include a display of materials from the collections of The Latin American Library relating to the African experience in Latin America and the Caribbean. All attendees are welcome to sign up to read in the language of their choice.
Sponsored by: the Stone Center for Latin American Studies, Tulane University Libraries, the Latin American Library, the TU Language Learning Center, and the departments and programs of: Interdisciplinary Linguistics, Spanish and Portuguese, French & Italian, History, English, and Africana Studies.
Guardian of Progress: Bernette Joshua Jackson
H-TML 430
February 25, 2025, 5:00 p.m.
Register for Guardian of Progress: Bernette Joshua Johnson
This presentation by Dr. Nghana Lewis will feature a chapter of the book project, "A Plan and a Purpose": How Black Women (Re)Defined Louisiana's Legal, Political, and Cultural Landscapes After Brown.
The chapter addresses the contributions of Retired Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson and focuses on her term as an associate justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court when she also served as president of the National Bar Association, the United States' oldest network of Black attorneys and judges. Justice Johnson was "on an island" in insisting that an invitation to serve as an NBA conference keynote speaker extended to Justice Clarence Thomas, then a relatively new U.S. Supreme Court associate justice, should not be rescinded. Dr. Lewis highlights Justice Johnson's positioning, in this instance, as evidence of the consistency with which she served as a protector of progress over the course of her illustrious career as a public servant and jurist. The presentation will draw on the Bernette Joshua Johnson papers, a collection held by Amistad Research Center.
Finding the Forgotten: Discover Pre-20th Century Black New Orleans Through Digitized Primary Source Documents
H-TML 430
February 26, 2025, 12:00 p.m.
Register for Finding the Forgotten: Discover Pre-20th Century Black New Orleans Through Digitized Primary Source Documents
Led by Dr. Victoria Elmwood, this workshop will introduce significant collections of digitized historical materials pertaining to the history and experiences of Black people in New Orleans, with a main focus on pre-20th century resources. Participants will learn how to navigate different interfaces and compose effective search queries using terminology that is most likely to return relevant search results. The first 40 minutes will allow participants to familiarize themselves with several different resources. In the remaining 20 minutes, participants will have time to conduct their own preliminary searches with support and troubleshooting guidance from the presenter. Participants will also be directed to a research guide containing additional, related resources that are not covered in the workshop. Note: Participants should bring a device (preferably a laptop or tablet) to the session.
We Are Grateful to our Spring is King Sponsors
The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The Carolyn Barber-Pierre Center for Intercultural Life
The Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity
The Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science
The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
The Office of Multicultural Affairs
The Newcomb Institute
The Tulane History Project
The Center for Public Service
Tulane Libraries
Newcomb Tulane College
