Jelani Cobb, the renowned journalist, scholar, and current dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, will be the guest of honor at Westport’s 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.
The event will be held in The Westport Library’s Trefz Forum on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 1 pm. Cobb will be in conversation with acclaimed novelist, playwright, and filmmaker Trey Ellis. Click here for more information.
The annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration is a partnership between the Library, TEAM Westport, the Westport Country Playhouse, Westport Museum for History and Culture, and the Westport/Weston Clergy Association.
“We are thrilled to honor and welcome both Dr. Cobb and Trey Ellis at the Library for this 20th anniversary celebration,” said Bill Harmer, executive director of The Westport Library. “Dr. Cobb is a groundbreaking figure in his field as well as a decorated journalist and renowned scholar. Westport is incredibly fortunate to have him here to help us celebrate the life and memory of Dr. King.”
“Dr. King reminded us that ‘the day we see truth and cease to speak is the day we begin to die,’ said Harold Bailey, chair of TEAM Westport. “At a moment when the very idea of truth is under unprecedented pressure, there could be no more fitting focus than journalism. And there is no more powerful champion of its purpose and integrity than Jelani Cobb. We are truly fortunate to welcome him as we mark the 20th anniversary of the MLK Celebration here in Westport.”
Cobb is a Peabody Award winner, Pulitzer Prize finalist, MS Now political analyst, and The New Yorker staff writer who has written books on Barack Obama and the hip hop aesthetic, in addition to editing several other volumes and producing numerous documentaries. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2023 and is a recipient of fellowships from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, and the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Past Martin Luther King Jr. celebration keynote speakers include National Book Award winner and MacArthur Fellow Ibram X. Kendi; Pulitzer Prize winner James Forman Jr.; New York Times best-selling authors Heather McGhee and Layla Saad; Guggenheim Scholar Carol Anderson; American Book Award winner Tricia Rose; Quinnipiac Law School founder Marilyn Ford; author/artist/ filmmaker/multi-dimensional performance artist Junauda Petrus, former King speechwriter and advisor Dr. Clarence B. Jones; and last year’s guest, award-winning writer, producer, and Shondaland visionary Shonda Rhimes.
