Officials announced Tuesday the selection of civil rights leader Andrew Young as the keynote speaker at the 18th annual commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Jan. 14.
Young was both the first black ambassador to the United Nations and the first black Georgia congressman since the Reconstruction.
A close friend and ally of King, Young's relationship with King and his work with civil rights made him a clear choice as the keynote speaker, committee members said.
"He is not only a close confidant and colleague of Dr. King, he really exemplifies some of the values and tenets of Dr. King," said committee co-chair Ben Reese, vice president of the Office for Institutional Equity. "He has been working for social justice and equity for so long, he just really stands out as a model for so many of us on campus."
Young is also one of the most notable and still-prominent figures from the civil rights era, added committee member Myrna Adams, an independent consultant to the University.
Young currently is chairman of the GoodWorks International consulting firm and co-chair of the Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation.
"I'm really happy that he is the keynote speaker and I'm excited to hear what he has to say," said senior Malik Burnett, president of the Black Student Alliance and a member of the King Commemoration Committee.
The theme for the 2007 commemoration service is "Come to the Table," which Reese said speaks to King's lifetime hope for reconciliation between people with radically different viewpoints.
"We think it's so timely in the world we live in for us to step back and think about Dr. King's visions of reconciliation and applicability to the challenges we face now," Reese added.
Co-chair William Turner, associate professor of the practice of homiletics at the Divinity School, said in a statement that Young's experiences are fitting for the theme of the event.
"Who could be better to call us once again to 'come to the table in 2007?'" Turner said. "Andrew Young has reached out the hand of fellowship, invested his energy, put his life on the line and cried out for justice for more than 40 years."
Young served as executive vice president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the civil rights era when King was the conference's president.
"He'll bring insight into the dream of King," Burnett said.
Members of the committee also said Young's experiences will provide the audience with different perspectives.
"[Young will] not only speak to his personal work, but also speak to visions of Dr. King and ways it can apply to the kinds of challenges we face on campus, in the country and throughout the world," Reese said.
This is not the first time Young has been contacted by Duke.
The University awarded Young an honorary degree in 2000 and invited him to speak at the commemoration five years ago, but he could not attend.
"We're pleased that we were able to [get Young to speak] this year," Adams said, noting that Young is "squeezing in" the Sunday commemoration in between engagements on the previous Saturday and the following Monday.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.