WNYC and The Apollo Present MLK26: The Pan-Africanist Restitution & Reconciliation in a Global State of Emergency
Hosted by WNYC’s MICHAEL HILL, BRIAN LEHRER, and JANAE PIERRE, with WQXR’s TERRANCE MCKNIGHT
Sunday January 18, 2026 at 2pm
at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria
in Harlem
Event to be recorded for broadcast on WNYC on Monday, January 19 at 3pm & 8pm; special to also air on YouTube & public radio stations across the country
Presented in collaboration with March On!
WNYC celebrates the 20th Anniversary of its annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by partnering again with The Apollo for MLK26: The Pan-Africanist — Restitution & Reconciliation in a Global State of Emergency. Held for the first time at The Apollo’s new stages at the Victoria Theater, the event will take place on Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2pm. It will be recorded and broadcast on WNYC and public radio stations across the country on Monday, January 19 (see local listings).
Anchored in the historic moment of Dr. King’s 1957 journey to Ghana, the program traces King’s vision and commitment to global liberation to the modern-day call for justice. Through conversation, performance, and reflection, this year’s gathering connects the struggle against colonialism and segregation to today’s fights for equity, freedom, and dignity across the African Diaspora. Together, we examine restitution and reconciliation not as lofty ideals, but as urgent imperatives, linking Accra to Atlanta, the global past to our shared present.
“For 20 years, WNYC’s Annual MLK event has brought together scholars, journalists, activists, and artists to honor Dr. King – not as a symbol of our historic past, but as a multi-dimensional leader whose legacy continues to speak loudly and urgently to our time,” said LaFontaine Oliver, President & CEO and Executive Chair of New York Public Radio. “We’re proud to do this work in partnership with The Apollo and March On!, and to make this programming available to audiences in New York and worldwide.”
“Dr. King called on us to listen deeply, act collectively, and remain accountable to one another,” said Michelle Ebanks, President & CEO of The Apollo. “Together with WNYC and March On!, we are honored to create space for reflection and dialogue that invites our communities to engage with Dr. King’s legacy —one that continues to shape our present and future.”
“Dr. King understood that the fight for justice was never confined by borders,” said Kim Callinan, Executive Director of March On!. “We’re proud to partner with WNYC and The Apollo to carry that global vision forward — through art, dialogue, and collective reckoning.”
The conversation will be hosted by WNYC’s Michael Hill, Brian Lehrer, and Janae Pierre, along with WQXR’s Terrance McKnight.
Guests include:
- Dr. Robert Vinson, Director & Chair of the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American & African Studies at the University of Virginia and author, King in Africa
- Marc Morial, President, National Urban League
- Sandra Babu-Boateng, Diasporic Digital Media Executive
- Brandon Terry, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University and the co-director of the Institute on Policing, Incarceration, and Public Safety at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research; author of Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope (NYT’s 100 Notable Books of 2025)
LaFontaine E. Oliver, President & CEO and Executive Chair, New York Public Radio; Michelle Ebanks, President and CEO of The Apollo; and Isisara Bey, Artistic Director of March On! will give opening remarks.
Due to capacity constraints at the venue, seating is extremely limited. MLK26: The Pan-Africanist — Restitution & Reconciliation in a Global State of Emergency will be recorded for broadcast on WNYC on Monday, January 19 at 3pm & 8pm on WNYC 93.9 FM, AM 820, and www.wnyc.org, as well as on public radio stations across the country and on WNYC and The Apollo’s YouTube channels. For more information, please click here.
About The Apollo
The Apollo is an American cultural treasure. It is a vibrant non-profit organization rooted in the Harlem community that engages people from around New York, the nation, and the world. Since 1934, The Apollo has celebrated, created, and presented work that centers Black artists and voices from across the African Diaspora. It has also been a catalyst for social and civic advocacy. Today, The Apollo is the largest performing arts institution committed to Black culture and creativity.
The Apollo is a commissioner and presenter; catalyst for new artists, audiences, and creative workforce; and partner in the projection of the African American narrative and its role in the development of American and global culture.
The Apollo envisions a new American canon centered on contributions to the performing arts by artists of the African diaspora, in America and beyond.
