Noted journalists and commentators Maria Hinojosa and Rashad Richey will co-headline the University of Michigan’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium Memorial Keynote Lecture.
The lecture is scheduled to take place virtually at 10 a.m. Jan. 17. It can be viewed on the symposium’s website.
Maria Hinojosa 
Rashad Richey
In a moderated discussion led by Patricia Coleman-Burns, professor emerita of nursing, the trio will discuss the theme of this year’s symposium, “This is America,” and explore defining America through the lens of social justice.
Throughout January, the MLK Symposium provides opportunities to participate in lectures, live performances, exhibits, workshops and community service projects sponsored by academic and non-academic units, student and staff organizations and community groups.
Hinojosa is a Mexican American journalist, anchor and executive producer of Latino USA on National Public Radio, a public radio show devoted to Latino issues. She is also the founder, president and CEO of Futuro Media Group, which produces the show.
Hinojosa’s career in journalism includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN and NPR, and anchoring the Emmy Award-winning talk show “Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One.” She was the first Latina to anchor a PBS “Frontline” report, 2011’s “Lost in Detention,” exploring abuse at immigrant detention facilities.
She has authored two books and won dozens of awards, including four Emmy Awards, two Robert F. Kennedy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and the Ruben Salazar Lifetime Achievement Award. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College.
Richey is a noted lecturer, university professor, broadcaster, writer and entrepreneur. He is a frequent commentator on MSNBC, CNBC, BBC, The Young Turks Network and the Fox News Channel, where he provides insight and analysis on various political, social and policy topics.
Richey received his Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies and Master of Business Administration from Beulah Heights University, a Ph.D. from Scofield Graduate School, a Doctor of Education from Clark Atlanta University, and completed studies in executive leadership from Cornell University. Richey is currently pursuing a law degree at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
King visited U-M on Nov. 5, 1962 — nine months before the historic August 1963 March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.
During his visit, King gave two public presentations at Hill Auditorium. In the afternoon he lectured on “Moral Issues in Discrimination,” and in the evening he gave a speech titled “What Does the Negro Citizen Want?”
King also hosted a discussion on civil disobedience with a small group at the Michigan Union sponsored by the Michigan Union Special Projects Committee. The discussion included representatives from U-M sororities, fraternities and other housing units.
