King of the North: The History and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Life of Struggle Outside of the South

On the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic speech opposing the Vietnam War (April 4, 1967, at The Riverside Church), join us to celebrate the publication of a major new history of King’s life and struggle outside the South, King of the North.

Jeanne Theoharis and Maya Wiley will have an intimate conversation about Civil Rights activism, and how Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and struggle sheds light on where we are today in this country and where we can go from here. This discussion will be moderated by Michael Hill, NYPR’s Host of Morning Edition at WNYC .

Books by Jeanne Theoharis (King of the North) and Maya Wiley (Remember, You are a Wiley) will be available for purchase, and a signing will follow the event.

Jeanne Theoharis is a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College, CUNY, and a New York Times bestselling author. Her book The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks won the 2014 NAACP Image Award and was adapted into a documentary for Peacock, where she served as a consulting producer. She has also co-authored a young adult adaptation of the book and written A More Beautiful and Terrible History, which won the 2018 Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize. Her work has been featured in major publications, including The New York Times and The Atlantic. She is also the author of King in the North and resides in Brooklyn.

Maya Wiley is a nationally respected civil rights attorney and activist dedicated to justice, equality, and fairness. She was the first Black woman to serve as counsel to the mayor of New York City, where she advanced civil and immigrant rights and expanded opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses.She later became a faculty member and senior vice president for social justice at The New School, where she also chaired the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB). Under her leadership, the CCRB successfully prosecuted Daniel Pantaleo, the officer responsible for Eric Garner’s death. In 2021, she ran for mayor of New York City.As a Henry Cohen Professor at The New School, Wiley founded the Digital Equity Laboratory to promote universal broadband access. She has also worked as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.Earlier in her career, Wiley worked at the ACLU, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. She co-founded the Center for Social Inclusion and served as a senior advisor at the Open Society Foundations.She holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

MODERATOR

Michael Hill is NYPR’s host of Morning Edition at WNYC. A native of Newark, NJ, he joined WNYC in 2021 after six years covering the Garden State as an anchor, correspondent, and multimedia journalist.

He’s thrilled to step into the role of host—anchoring, writing, and delivering news and announcements to the metro area and beyond. Michael is an avid Scrabble player, loves a great mystery, and welcomes every opportunity to laugh at life.