About this Event
The MLK Jr. Social Justice Lecture & Award celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. King, featuring a speaker of African descent who is distinguished for social justice advocacy. This year we will be honoring the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and former Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Lonnie G. Bunch III.
Lonnie G. Bunch III is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian. He assumed his position June 16, 2019. As Secretary, he oversees 20 museums, the National Zoo, numerous libraries and research centers, and several education units and centers. Two new museums—the National Museum of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum—are in development.
Since 2024, Bunch has been Honorary Professor of Practice at Queen’s University Belfast.
Previously, Bunch was the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. When he started as director in July 2005, he had one staff member, no collections, no funding and no site for a museum. Driven by optimism, determination and a commitment to build “a place that would make America better,” Bunch transformed a vision into a bold reality. The museum has welcomed nearly 13 million visitors since it opened in September 2016 and compiled a collection of 40,000 objects that are housed in the first “green building” on the National Mall. In 2019, the creation of the museum became the first Smithsonian effort to be the topic of a Harvard Business Review case study.
Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument, the nearly 400,000-square-foot National Museum of African American History and Culture is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- Everyone must have government-issued identification
- No ‘large’ bags (e.g. wallets and small clutch-style bags are permitted)
- All bags will be subject to search, see full list of prohibited items here.
Event venue & nearby stays
Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St, Philadelphia, United States
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