This spring will mark 50 years since Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. But before that, Clemson’s 36th commemorative service will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts. This year’s keynote speaker is Mrs. Jennifer Pinckney, the widow of the late S.C. Senator Clementa C. Pinckney.
The student led service, meant to celebrate and commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr., has a history going back to 1982 at Clemson University. The student group Men Interested in Alpha (MIA) worked with the Greenville chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to organize the celebration in then newly renovated Tillman Hall. Since 1986, a commemorative march has preceded the service. Renewed commitment by the University in 1998 and the creation of the MLK Enhancement Committee led to an increase in funding and expansion of the celebration.
About Ms. Jennifer Pinckney
Jennifer Benjamin Pinckney is the widow of South Carolina State Senator and Pastor, the Honorable Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney, who was slain during a Bible Study group at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on June 17, 2015.
She was born in New Haven, Connecticut to Cleo and Frank Benjamin and raised in Aiken, South Carolina. Pinckney graduated with honors from Silver Bluff High School before attending the University of South Carolina and graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Information Systems. She went further on in USC to receive a Master of Arts in Library Science and a Specialist degree in Media.
She has two daughters by the late Honorable Reverend, Eliana, age 13, and Malana, age 8.
Since her husband’s death, Ms. Pinckney has continued his work with the establishment of a charitable foundation in his honor: The Honorable Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney Foundation. The Foundation was established formally by Jennifer Pinckney, S.C. Senator Gerald Malloy, and the Rev. Kylon Jerome Middleton.
Additional MLK Celebration week events include:
Civil Rights Trip to Memphis, TN
Sponsored by the Office of Inclusion and Equity
Jan. 15
Day of Service
8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Hendrix Ballrooms A & B
Blood Drive
10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Hendrix Meeting Rooms A & B
Jan. 16
Commemorative Service
Keynote Speaker: Mrs. Jennifer Pinckney
6 p.m., Brooks Center for the Performing Arts
Free and open to the Public
Jan. 17
Oratorical Contest
6 p.m., McKissick Theater, Hendrix Student Center
Sponsored by the Minority Student Success Initiative
Jan. 18
Tunnel of Oppression
1 p.m. – 7 p.m., Hendrix Student Center, Ballrooms A & B
