WNYC and The Apollo Present
MLK26: The Pan-Africanist Restitution & Reconciliation in a Global State of Emergency
Hosted by WNYC’s MICHAEL HILL, BRIAN LEHRER, and JANAE PIERRE, with WQXR’s TERRANCE MCKNIGHT
Presented in collaboration with March On!
Anchored in the historic moment of Dr. King’s 1957 journey to Ghana, the program traces King’s vision and commitment to global liberation to the modern-day call for justice.Through conversation, performance, and reflection, this year’s gathering connects the struggle against colonialism and segregation to today’s fights for equity, freedom, and dignity across the African Diaspora. Together, we examine restitution and reconciliation not as lofty ideals, but as urgent imperatives, linking Accra to Atlanta, the global past to our shared present.
“For 20 years, WNYC’s Annual MLK event has brought together scholars, journalists, activists, and artists to honor Dr. King – not as a symbol of our historic past, but as a multi-dimensional leader whose legacy continues to speak loudly and urgently to our time,” said LaFontaine Oliver, President & CEO and Executive Chair of New York Public Radio. “We’re proud to do this work in partnership with The Apollo and March On!, and to make this programming available to audiences in New York and worldwide.”
“Dr. King called on us to listen deeply, act collectively, and remain accountable to one another,” said Michelle Ebanks, President & CEO of The Apollo. “Together with WNYC and March On!, we are honored to create space for reflection and dialogue that invites our communities to engage with Dr. King’s legacy —one that continues to shape our present and future.”
“Dr. King understood that the fight for justice was never confined by borders,” said Kim Callinan, Executive Director of March On!. “We’re proud to partner with WNYC and The Apollo to carry that global vision forward — through art, dialogue, and collective reckoning.”
The conversation will be hosted by WNYC’s Michael Hill, Brian Lehrer, and Janae Pierre, along with WQXR’s Terrance McKnight.
Guests include:
- Dr. Robert Vinson, Director & Chair of the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American & African Studies at the University of Virginia and author, King in Africa
- Marc Morial, President, National Urban League
- Sandra Babu-Boateng, Diasporic Digital Media Executive
- Brandon Terry, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University and the co-director of the Institute on Policing, Incarceration, and Public Safety at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research; author of Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope (NYT’s 100 Notable Books of 2025)
LaFontaine E. Oliver, President & CEO and Executive Chair, New York Public Radio; Michelle Ebanks, President and CEO of The Apollo; and Isisara Bey, Artistic Director of March On! will give opening remarks.
