Westport’s Library’s 20th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration - Featured Speaker: Jelani Cobb
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
By Brandon Cherry
WESTPORT, CT January 17, 2026 - The Westport Library proudly hosted its 20th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in 2026 with Trey Ellis as the interviewer, making it two decades of reflection, learning, diversity, and community engagement. This year’s special guest speaker was Jelani Cobb, who is a leading voice on American history and covers topics like equality, race, diversity, politics, and democracy.
The Walter E. Luckett Jr Foundation bought students from Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport, and Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS) in West Haven to attend the event.
Jelani Cobb left, Trey Ellis right.
A product of New York City public schools, Mr. Cobb attended Jamaica High School in Queens before earning his B.A. in English from Howard University. He later completed both his M.A. and Ph.D. in American History at Rutgers University, finishing his doctorate in 2003.
Since 2015, Cobb has served as a staff writer at The New Yorker, where his commentary and articles shaped national conversations. His work has earned significant recognition, including a Peabody Award for the 2020 PBS Frontline documentary Whose Vote Counts? and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his commentary with the New Yorker in 2018.
Cobb is widely recognized for his influential books 'Three or More is a Riot' and 'The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress'. You might have seen Mr. Cobb as a special guest contributor on CNN and The Daily Show on Comedy Central for his insight and commentary.
The affair started with Varrick Nelson Jr. covering Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and Varrick closed out the event as well.
To view The Westport Library’s page of the event https://westportlibrary.my.canva.site/mlk-celebration-2026.
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