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In January 2026, Dr. Brittani Staley planned and implemented the 2026 MLK Jr. Week of programs. The keynote speaker Dr. Staley was able to bring to James Madison University for 2026 MLK Jr. Week was Ms. Donzaleigh Abernathy, best known as the youngest daughter of Rev. Ralph David Abernathy and close family friend of Martin Luther King Jr., both of which were founders of the Civil Rights Movement.
Left Image: Dr. Brittani Staley (in blue) hugging Ms. Donzaleigh Abernathy.
Right Image (right to left): Ms. Donzaleigh Abernathy and Dr. Brittani Staley
Every one of us is living inside an identity. The question is whether it's ours.
That's the line at the center of my TEDx talk, "The Unprecedented Future" — the distinction between a rented identity (borrowed permission, built for approval or safety) and a real identity (aligned with purpose, and the only version of us capable of building what's next). https://youtu.be/Pja0pgyVyh4?si=t4rWNa8Nh59092uC
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