Colgate University honors the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. during a campuswide celebration, Jan. 20–30, 2020. Social activist, human rights advocate, and writer Opal Tometi will be the keynote speaker on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. For a full schedule of Colgate’s MLK Celebration events visit Colgate.edu/mlkweek.
Tometi is widely known for her role as a co-founder of Black Lives Matter and for her years of service as the executive director of the United States’ first national immigrant rights organization for people of African descent: The Black Alliance for Just Immigration. The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, she grew up in Arizona, holds a master's degree in communications, and is a racial justice communications consultant.
Tometi is currently featured in the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2018, she was a recipient of the VH1 Everyday Trailblazer honor and Frederick Douglass 200 Awardee for her groundbreaking contributions to contemporary social movements.
Tometi’s human rights work has earned her an appearance on the cover of the inaugural Woke 100 issue of ESSENCE magazine and recognition as a “A New Civil Rights Leader” by CNN and the Los Angeles Times.
An international thought leader, Tometi addressed the United Nations General Assembly in 2016. She has spoken at the Atlantic Washington Ideas Forum, Harvard University, Yale University, and various conferences and universities nationwide.
Tometi has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and BET. Her writings have been published in TIME, InStyle, Seventeen, and the Huffington Post.