Poet and social activist Sonia Sanchez is this year’s “Doing the Dream” speaker for Ivy Tech Kokomo’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event.
The 21st iteration of the event that honors the legacy of the civil rights leader is set for Feb. 6-7.
Sanchez will speak during the Feb. 6 banquet. This year’s theme is “Art that Moved the Movement” which will celebrate the art and artists who supported King’s vision.
Sanchez is a poet, educator, columnist, dramatist and essayist and the author of more than 20 books and plays. For more than 60 years, she helped redefine American culture and politics as an activist in the Black, women’s and peace movements, according to a news release.
Maya Angelou called Sanchez “a lion in literature’s forest” while spoken word artist Bryonn Bain credits her with paving the way for his generation.
Sanchez’s lengthy list of honors includes the 2022 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the 2001 Robert Frost Medal, the 2004 Harper Lee Award and the National Visionary Leadership Award for 2005.
She has lectured at more than 500 universities and colleges in the United States and has traveled extensively, reading her poetry in Africa, Cuba, England, the Caribbean, Australia, Europe, Nicaragua, the People’s Republic of China, Norway and Canada.
Tickets for the banquet go on sale Jan. 8 and will be available at link.ivytech.edu/2025DoingtheDream.
Tickets are $60 each and will be available until Jan. 30, unless sold out earlier. All proceeds support the Ivy Tech Kokomo “Doing the Dream” Diversity Scholarship.
Sanchez will participate in an “artivism” workshop Feb. 7 with Ivy Tech students from around the state as well as a convocation for Ivy Tech Kokomo faculty, staff and students.
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