2024 MLK Celebration & Keynote Speaker

December 11, 2023

Martin Luther King Jr. day is Monday, January 15, 2024. To help us reflect on this holiday, Abena Sankofa Imhotep will be our keynote speaker in the Viking Theatre at Noon.

Abena Sankofa Imhotep is an award-winning author, transformative thought leader, and CEO of Sankofa Literary & Empowerment Group which creates spaces for lifelong learning that center the literature and scholarship of Black authors. Leading conversations on racial equity and organizational awareness around the country, Abena is an active advocate for education, justice, and humanitarianism.

Abena has presented human rights papers on social impact & responsibility and strategies for achieving racial justice at the Nelson Institute Global Citizen Forum, the Iowa Human Rights Research Conference, and University of Notre Dame Kroc Institute. Abena founded Sankofa Literary Academy in 2021 to provide literacy support to emerging readers and expand childrens' access to diverse books. Her own debut children's book, Omari's Big Tree and the Mighty Djembe, has received international recognition with distribution in 29 countries. Abena is a TEDx speaker, serves on several boards of directors, and is a student of International Relations at Drake University.

Grand View will celebrate all week with service events.