South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) invites the community to its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Event to honor Dr. King’s legacy and reflect on the ongoing work of equity and justice in our community. Marc Bamuthi Joseph, one of the nation’s most vital voices at the intersection of arts and social justice, will deliver a keynote titled “Socially Responsive and Responsible Community-Building.” The event will take place on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. on the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts Main Stage.
Marc Bamuthi Joseph currently serves as Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. A 2017 TED Global Fellow and an inaugural recipient of the Guggenheim Social Practice initiative, Bamuthi has earned numerous honors, including the United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship and election into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His work spans spoken-word poetry, dance, theater, and opera, with acclaimed pieces such as We Shall Not Be Moved and The Just and the Blind. Through his art and advocacy, Bamuthi continues to inspire communities to engage deeply with issues of equity and justice.
SPSCC extends its gratitude to OlyFed, the Presenting Sponsor, and The Thurston Group of Washington State for their vital partnership in making this event possible. The Thurston Group continues to champion access to higher education through mentorship, advocacy, and scholarships for students of color in the Pacific Northwest.
Admission to the event is free, and no tickets are required. For more information, please visit SPSCC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Event page.
About Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a spoken-word poet, dancer, playwright, and actor whose work explores the intersection of art and social justice. He co-founded the Life is Living Festival for Youth Speaks and created the installation Black Joy in the Hour of Chaos for Creative Time. His opera libretto We Shall Not Be Moved was named one of The New York Times’ “Best Classical Music Performances” of 2017, and his newest opera, Watch Night, premiered under the direction of Bill T. Jones in 2023. Bamuthi’s piece The Just and the Blind debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2019, and he appears in HBO’s adaptation of Between the World and Me. A proud Morehouse College alumnus, Bamuthi received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the California College of Arts in 2022.