Belltower under cloudy skies.

Please join us today for a very special 2016 MLK Jr. NC State Campus Commemoration featuring speaker Byron Pitts. The presentation will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the Talley Student Union Coastal Ballroom.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” At NC State, the African American Cultural Center provides opportunities for students to think intensively and to think critically through a myriad of programs and interactions offered throughout each academic year. This year, along with the Office of the Provost, Student Media, the College of Humanities and Social Science and University Scholars, we welcome Byron Pitts, ABC news anchor, to our campus in honor of Dr. King. The diversity and commitment of these partnerships illuminate this statement made by Coretta Scott King, “We honor the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example – the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership.”

Pitts, co-anchor of ABC’s Nightline and author of Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, overcame a difficult childhood that included functional illiteracy, stuttering and being raised by a single mom. He went on to achieve a career in television and become an Emmy Award-winning journalist. Please join us in welcoming Mr. Byron Pitts!

Dr. Frances Graham is director of the African American Cultural Center.