Grassroots organization Action St. Louis, led by WashU alumna Kayla Reed, will receive the Rosa L. Parks Award at the 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, in Graham Chapel at Washington University in St. Louis. This year’s theme, “Pressing Our Way: Striving for Change,” is inspired by King’s message that “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle.”
In addition, WashU Medicine will hold a series of events as part of its Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week.
Co-founded by Reed in 2016, Action St. Louis strives to build a more just, livable community. Recently, Action St. Louis led efforts to restore north St. Louis after the deadly May 16 tornado. In partnership with ForTheCultureSTL, Action St. Louis established a full-scale relief hub, distributing supplies, coordinating community cleanups and connecting residents to long-term support.
The organization also has worked to register voters and boost voter education through debates and voters guides. Action St. Louis also advocates for affordable housing and tenant rights.
The Rosa L. Parks Award honors leaders and organizations that uplift the St. Louis community. Phyllis Jackson, of WashU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee, said Action St. Louis moved quickly compassionately in the wake of the tornado. Other members of the committee include Adam Brok, of Student Affairs, Jacqueline Carter Slack, of Olin Business School, and Ashley June Moore, of Arts & Sciences.
“The organization’s tornado efforts — ‘The People’s Response 2025’ — was born from the deep desire to act, to care and to protect the families of St. Louis,” said Jackson, associate dean and director of the Office of Scholar Programs. “This work is a continuation of their ongoing mission to build community power for the St. Louis region by leveraging organizing, communications, advocacy and collective action to mitigate harm against the community while fighting for long-term transformation.”
The commemoration also will feature remarks from Chancellor Andrew D. Martin and senior Da’Juantay Wynter, an Ervin Scholar and undergraduate representative to the Board of Trustees. Students Ashton Lee, president of Student Union, and AnnLauren Djoko, president of the Association of Black Students, will serve as co-hosts.
Black Anthology, the Unending Praise Gospel Choir and the WashU Chamber Choir also will perform at the event.
The community also is invited to join Campus Life and the Cross Cultural Connections office in a service project from noon-2 p.m. in the Danforth University Center (DUC) Tisch Commons, where volunteers will assemble hygiene kits for children in the Ritenour School District, care packages for those without homes, blankets for area animal shelters and cards for local senior citizens. Light refreshments will be served.
The ceremony is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in the DUC garage. The event also will be livestreamed here.
WashU Medicine events commemorate King
A keynote from Hasan Kwame Jeffries offers one of many opportunities to commemorate King on the WashU Medical Campus next week. The address, titled “When a Dream Becomes a Nightmare: Reclaiming Dr. King’s Vision for a Just America,” will take place 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, in the Eric P. Newman Education Center Seminar Room B.
Jeffries, an author and civil rights historian, is the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University. He teaches, researches and writes about the African American experience with a focus on historical understanding and civic engagement. He also is chair of the board of the Montpelier Foundation, which stewards the Virginia estate of James Madison, helping to shape a more inclusive public interpretation of America’s founding.
WashU Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hosts this event as part of the Inclusive Excellence Speaker Series. David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor and the George and Carol Bauer Dean of WashU Medicine, will provide opening remarks.
“We designed this year’s events to help participants thoughtfully listen and learn from experts like Dr. Jeffries,” said Sherree A. Wilson, WashU Medicine’s associate vice chancellor and associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion. “Inspired by Dr. King’s legacy, we are compelled to keep moving toward a just future where everyone thrives, and everyone understands the crucial role they play in making that dream a reality.”
All are welcome to attend the following events scheduled throughout the week:
National Day of Service
Monday, Jan. 19, all day
Cultural Somatic Skills for Navigating Difficult Times
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 10-10:45 a.m. via Zoom
Keynote address
Wednesday, Jan. 21
Reception 3:30-4 p.m., Keynote 4-6 p.m.
Eric P. Newman Education Center, Seminar Room B
Visit the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week 2026 website to learn more and register for events.
