2026 MLK Weekend

Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Activities 

Please join us, Sunday, January 18, 2026, for our annual dinner to celebrate the life, legacy, and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Commission will focus on the cohesion and synergy within us and within our communities.

The theme for 2025 is Give Love, Spread Love, Be Love.

Keynote presentation

'Where do we go from here?'

U. Melissa Anyiwo is an Associate Professor of History and Director of Black Studies at the University of Scranton, PA. A transplanted Nigerian-British citizen with a PhD from the University of Swansea, Wales UK, she has a background in race, gender, diversity, and visual archetypes, with over twenty years of experience writing and presenting on racial and gendered stereotypes, especially the vampire.

Through the creation of Black Studies programs at three universities, Anyiwo has taught multiple courses focused on unpacking monstrosities such as the Black Superhero, Black Success on Film, and Race in American History. She is currently the co-editor of Palgrave Studies in Monstrosity, and a Board member for both the Peter Lang Series Vampire Studies: New Perspectives on the Undead and the International Slayage Journal.

Her published works include the edited collections Race in the Vampire Narrative (Sense, 2015), Gender in the Vampire Narrative (Sense, 2016), Gender Warriors: Reading Contemporary Urban Fantasy (Brill, 2018) Queering the Vampire Narrative (Brill, 2022) and Teaching with Vampires (Palgrave, 2024). In addition, she starred the documentaries “Lestat, Louis, and the Vampire Phenomenon” for the Interview with the Vampire 20th Anniversary Edition DVD (Warner Brothers, 2014,) and starred in the EMMY award-winning documentary It’s More Than Hair (2022).

Outside of the University of Scranton, Dr Anyiwo also serves on multiple boards including the National Popular Culture/American Culture Association, the Popular Culture/American Cultures Association of the South (PCAS), and the Vampire Studies Association.

Dr. Yerodin Lucas, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the

School of Social Work at Marywood University located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Arcadia University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations. He completed his Master’s degree in Education at Temple University, Master’s degree in Social Work and PhD in Administration and Leadership from Marywood University. His published dissertation titled: Factors Affecting African American Male Students at Predominantly White Institutions: A Case Study in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) highlights the support structures necessary for first-year Black male student persistence. As a Philadelphia native, Yerodin enjoys good food and city life. He has traveled and worked abroad in Asia, Canada, and Europe.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation is proud to work with The Greater Scranton MLK Commission by managing the Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission Fund.

The Greater Scranton MLK Commission Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation is a donor-advised fund that supports the charitable works and activities of the Greater Scranton MLK Commission. Through the fund, the Greater Scranton MLK Commission seeks to support its mission through projects and programs designed to promote principles of nonviolence, equity, and love through education and service.