Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture at Harvard
Date and Time
Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation and dedicated philanthropist, will deliver the fourth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture at Harvard.
About the lecture
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture at Harvard annually honors individuals who have advanced the work that inspired Dr. King to act and lead and who embody the spirit of Dr. King’s vision of servant leadership.
About the 2025 Lecturer
Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, a $16 billion international social justice philanthropy. Under his leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first non-profit in U.S. history to issue a $1 billion designated social bond to stabilize non-profit organizations in the wake of COVID-19. Before joining Ford, Darren was vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation. Previously, he was COO of Harlem’s Abyssinian Development Corporation. Darren co-founded both the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance and the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. In 2022, he was awarded France’s highest cultural honor, Commander of the French Order of Arts and Letters, for leadership in the arts. In 2023, he was also appointed by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II to the Order of the British Empire for services to UK/US relations. He serves on many boards, including the National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall, the High Line, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Committee to Protect Journalists, Ralph Lauren, Bloomberg Inc. and PepsiCo. In 2024, President Joe Biden awarded Darren the National Humanities Medal, which honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s engagement with the arts and humanities.