Westport will mark a milestone anniversary of its Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration with Peabody Award-winning journalist and scholar Jelani Cobb serving as guest of honor.
The 20th annual celebration will be held Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at 1 p.m. in the Trefz Forum at The Westport Library. Cobb will be joined in conversation by Trey Ellis, the acclaimed novelist, playwright and filmmaker, who will serve as moderator. Tickets are now available.
Cobb, the current dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, is widely recognized for his work examining race, democracy and American political life. A staff writer at The New Yorker, he is also a Pulitzer Prize finalist, MSNBC political analyst and documentary producer.
The event is presented in partnership with The Westport Library, TEAM Westport, the Westport Country Playhouse, the Westport Museum for History and Culture, and the Westport/Weston Clergy Association.
“We are thrilled to honor and welcome both Dr. Cobb and Trey Ellis at the Library for this 20th anniversary celebration,” said Bill Harmer, executive director of The Westport Library. “Westport is incredibly fortunate to have him here to help us celebrate the life and memory of Dr. King.”
TEAM Westport Chair Harold Bailey said the anniversary program reflects the enduring relevance of Dr. King’s message.
“Dr. King reminded us that ‘the day we see truth and cease to speak is the day we begin to die,’” Bailey said. “There could be no more fitting voice for this moment than Jelani Cobb as we mark 20 years of this celebration in Westport.”
Since its inception, Westport’s annual MLK celebration has featured nationally recognized voices in scholarship, activism and the arts. Past speakers have included Ibram X. Kendi, James Forman Jr., Heather McGhee, Carol Anderson, Tricia Rose, Clarence B. Jones and, most recently, Shonda Rhimes.
The event is open to the public and will include a moderated discussion reflecting on Dr. King’s legacy and its relevance today.
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