For several decades Wesleyan has celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The celebration has taken various forms including prominent keynote speakers such as Johnetta Cole and Sonia Sanchez to a campus based program where members of the faculty, staff and students read portions of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

2026 Luncheon: Erik M. Clemons

At the start of every Spring semester we come together as a community to honor the civil rights legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.  This year, the Wesleyan community is invited to attend a luncheon with a keynote address given by nationally recognized leader in social entrepreneurship and economic justice, Erik M. Clemons (website).   Please RSVP (link) by Monday, February 2nd.

Clemons is the founding CEO and President of ConnCAT, a nonprofit established in 2011 that creates arts-based educational opportunities for underserved youth and workforce training programs for under- and unemployed adults.  In 2018, he launched ConnCORP, an organization focused on economic development and investment in New Haven’s most economically distressed communities.

Clemons is currently leading the $200 million ConnCAT  development project in Dixwell, a historic Black neighborhood in New Haven. He also partners with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to co-create the Wealth Accelerator, an economic justice initiative aimed at addressing the racial wealth gap in New Haven.  He is also a Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship and Fellow at Yale University’s School of Management.

If you are interested in attending this luncheon, please RSVP (link) by Monday, February 2nd.  If you have any questions about the event, please don’t hesitate to contact Ashly White at awhite04@wesleyan.edu.

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