Class News

Tony Lavely ’64 joins MLK webinar hosted by Afro-American House

January 29, 2021

Many classmates will remember Risë Nelson (at right) who joined us at our 55th Reunion Class Dinner in 2019. Risë is Director of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale and an Assistant Dean in Yale College. Risë organized a panel of six Yale students for our Class Council meeting in 2016 and then took us on a tour of the Afro-American House. She has been a good friend to our class.

This week, Risë hosted a Zoom webinar to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr., titled: “The Work Ahead, The Work Within: Reflecting on King’s Dream.” Her guests were:

• Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and best-selling author of When They Call You a Terrorist
• Yamiche Alcindor, White House Correspondent for PBS NewsHour and NBC and MSNBC Political Contributor

It was a vivid reminder of the connection between Dr. Martin Luth King, Jr, Yale, and our Class. It was a wide-ranging discussion, from Black issues on college campuses to broader developments in society.