The MLK celebration is a proud Colgate tradition organized by the ALANA Cultural Center and the Office of the Dean of the College. This year, Bishop Edwin C. Bass '71, pastor of The Empowered Church within the Spanish Lake community of St. Louis, Mo., will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 4:30 p.m.

With an enduring commitment to establishing community, Bishop Bass has served on the boards of St. Louis Transitional Hope House, Lindenwood University, Grace Hill Economic Development Corporation, the Urban League of St. Louis, the U.S. Justice Department's Operation Weed and Seed, the Christian Hospital Ethics Committee, Eagle Bank & Trust Company now Enterprise Bank, and the Colgate University Alumni Corporation. 

While at Colgate, he participated in the 1968 sit-in that resulted in significant changes on campus, including the creation of the ALANA Cultural Center. Recently, he was instrumental in bringing the community together in Ferguson, Mo., following the shooting of Michael Brown.