Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the 17th Annual Southern Maryland Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Celebration, with the theme What Matters to You, on Monday, Jan. 18, via Zoom. The program will begin at 8 a.m., featuring a keynote address by Crystal Marie Fleming, author and expert on global racism and white supremacy. Following the program, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.©®, Nu Zeta Omega Chapter will host a Day of Service, offering drop-off points across St. Mary’s County for donations of non-perishable foods, new or gently worn shoes and eyeglasses. For more information, contact events@smcm.edu or call (240) 895-4310. Register for the event in advance on Zoom at: www.smcm.edu/mlk.
Crystal Marie Fleming is professor of sociology and Africana studies and associate faculty in the Department of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at SUNY Stony Brook.
Fleming has conducted research on racism and anti-racism in multiple national contexts and collaborated on empirical projects in the United States, France, Brazil and Israel. Her first book, “Resurrecting Slavery: Racial Legacies and White Supremacy in France” (Temple University Press, 2017), uses critical race theory to significantly advance scholarship on racism in France and Europe. Based on her award-winning dissertation, the book marshals ethnographic data, archival research and in-depth interviews with French activists and descendants of slaves to examine how commemorations of enslavement and abolition both challenge and reproduce the racial order.
Her latest book, “How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy and the Racial Divide” (Beacon Press), is a critically acclaimed primer on systemic racism that combines memoir, critical race theory, social commentary and satire to debunk common misconceptions about race.
Known for her frank talk and humor, Fleming’s provocative writing and speaking engage a broad range of scholarly and personal topics, from racism and white supremacy to politics, spirituality, feminism, (bi)sexuality and philosophy. Her essays and op-eds can be found in popular venues like Newsweek, The Root, Everyday Feminism, Black Agenda Report and Huffington Post. Additionally, her writing on race and politics has been cited in media outlets such as The Nation, The New Republic, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, Blavity News, USA Today, BET and Buzzfeed.
Fleming holds a PhD and a master’s degree in sociology from Harvard University and graduated with honors in sociology and French from Wellesley College.
The Annual Southern Maryland Martin Luther King Jr., Prayer Celebration is sponsored by St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s County Branch NAACP The 7025, St. Mary’s County Human Relations Commission, St. Mary’s County Public Schools, the College of Southern Maryland, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.© ®, Nu Zeta Omega Chapter.