Educational leader Harry L. Williams to visit campus for MLK events

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln will honor the legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 28 with a series of events featuring Harry L. Williams, president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

“I am truly looking forward to being on campus at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln,” Williams said. “It is an honor to help the campus community celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with a distinct focus on how his work intersected with the great work of Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall. I am excited for this opportunity and thank Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett for the invitation.”

Williams will present the keynote lecture “Leadership for the Future — Carrying Forward the Dream” from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Nebraska Union’s Swanson Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. The 2025 Chancellor’s Fulfilling the Dream Award also will be presented during the event.

In the lecture, Williams will connect the legacies of King and Marshall to contemporary challenges in equity and access. He will discuss the role of universities in continuing the fight for social change and share strategies for building community through education and leadership. The lecture will include a question-and-answer session and will be followed by a reception from 7 to 8 p.m. in the union’s Heritage Room and Regency Suite. Those planning to attend should RSVP here by Jan. 22.

“In 1958, King sent a letter to Marshall after donating $1,000 to the Legal Defense and Educational Fund of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,” Williams wrote. “A pivotal excerpt from that letter conveyed King’s commitment to Marshall’s legal victories: ‘You continue winning the legal victories for us, and we will work passionately and unrelentingly to implement these victories locally through nonviolent means. It seems to me that this dynamic legal approach supplemented by mass nonviolent implementation is the most powerful and constructive avenue open to the Negro at this hour.’”

Williams will lead two other events for university students, faculty and staff.

He will open the day with brief remarks and a meet and greet from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at Sheldon Museum of Art. The event is open to the entire campus community, but space is limited. Williams will reflect on King’s enduring legacy and contributions to justice, equality and social change. He also will share insights into King’s philosophy of nonviolence, unity and the pursuit of equitable opportunities in higher education. Those planning to attend should RSVP here by Jan. 22.

Williams will present the lecture “Intersection of MLK and Thurgood Marshall — A Legal Perspective” from noon to 1 p.m. in McCollum Hall, Room 111. The lecture is free and open to the campus community. Williams will highlight the intersecting legacies of King and Marshall, focusing on their contributions to the advancement of legal and civil rights. He will discuss how each leader reshaped the American legal and social landscape and how law students can carry their vision forward. Those wishing to attend should RSVP here. The lecture has been approved for one continuing legal education credit in Nebraska.

Under Williams’ leadership, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund has experienced unparalleled growth, increasing its revenue by more than 250%. His strategic direction has elevated the fund to not only serve as the premier representative of America’s historically Black colleges and universities — with 53 member schools — but as a thought leader in equity, access and inclusion.

Williams has forged strategic partnerships with leading Fortune 500 companies, including The Boeing Company, Medtronic, Visa and Ally Financial, and has reimagined partnerships with such organizations as Lowe’s, the NBA and Wells Fargo. The fund has been at the forefront of significant national legislation, earning respect and trust from leaders on both sides of the aisle in Congress and the White House. In 2022, Williams expanded the fund’s impact by inviting historically Black community colleges to join.

Williams served as president of Delaware State University from 2010 to 2017, helping increase student enrollment and fostering groundbreaking public/private partnerships that secured multimillion-dollar investment in the campus. He also held senior positions at the University of North Carolina System Office, Appalachian State University and North Carolina A&T State University. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Appalachian State University and a doctoral degree from East Tennessee State University.

Williams’ visit is sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor, College of Law and Sheldon Museum of Art. For more information, contact Kaylene Sorenson at ksorensen5@unl.edu or Lawrence Chatters at lchatters2@unl.edu.

The university also will host the 30th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Rally from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Nebraska Union’s Centennial Room. The event will be livestreamed, beginning at 4:30 p.m., on the LNKTV Education website, LNKTV YouTube channel and City of Lincoln Facebook page and will air on Allo channel 23 and Charter Spectrum channel 1303. For more information, click here.

Learn more about MLK Week events on campus.