The convocation lecture planned for Franklin College’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration event on Monday has been canceled, the college announced Thursday.
Rev. Sharon Washington Risher, an activist who has worked for gun control following the shooting at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2015, was scheduled to speak at the public event. Her lecture “Then and Now — What’s Different?” to discuss how her experience with the church massacre and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have shaped her life.
But due to an unavoidable issue, the lecture had to be canceled. The college hopes to be able to invite Risher to campus at a future date, according to a press release.
Franklin College will still be hosting a pair of events on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. From noon to 2 p.m., students, staff and faculty will hold “Raising Our Voices: A Letter Writing Collective” in the Napolitan Student Center Atrium. This event is for the campus community only.
At 2 p.m., a chapel service will be held in Richardson Chapel, which will include the showing of excerpts of King’s speeches. The service is open to the public.
