UAH MLK commemoration to feature Emmy award-winner Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox.

Laverne Cox

Courtesy Netflix

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday, Jan. 14 from 2-4 p.m. CST with a virtual remembrance for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Program hosted by the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI). The theme for this year's event is titled: 'Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere.'

Orange is the new black.

Laverne Cox stars as Sophia Burset.

Courtesy Lionsgate Entertainment

The special guest and featured speaker for this year's program will be Laverne Cox, the Emmy-award winning actor from the hit Netflix series, 'Orange is the New Black.' As the character 'Sophia Burset,' an incarcerated African-American transgender woman, Cox is the first transgender woman of color to appear on a mainstream television series. She is also seen in the Netflix documentary, 'Disclosure,' a study of transgender depictions in film and television.

An accomplished producer and advocate for equal rights, Cox shares her views on race, class and gender with audiences through a range of platforms. Her recollections of growing up in Mobile, Alabama, then later embracing her identity in New York City, provide an empowering message about self-acceptance to advocate for positive change.

The theme for the 2021 commemoration derives from a passage in Dr. King's iconic 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail' that helps sum up a call to action and advocacy for all people: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere' is an important message that continues to resonate.

This is a Zoom virtual event, and advance registration is required.