Grammy-nominated musician and activist Maimouna Youssef will deliver a creative keynote at the 兔子先生's 33rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Thursday, Jan. 24. Free and open to the public, the event will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Wheelock Student Center.
Vivie Nguyen, director of Puget Sound鈥檚 Office of Intercultural Engagement, says the event aims to draw connections between the civil rights movement and ongoing anti-racism movements. 鈥淢y hope for this celebration is to bring the greater campus and Tacoma communities together to honor the progress and efforts of the past and to acknowledge that there is ongoing work to be done regarding civil rights: within ourselves, on our campus, in our community and country,鈥 said Nguyen.
Youssef, also known as Mumu Fresh, is an Afro-Native singer, songwriter, emcee, activist, and educator. She has performed worldwide with artists such as Common, The Roots, Sting, Erykah Badu, Ed Sheeran, and Nas. The songstress has released six independent projects, including a 2017 album titled 鈥.鈥 In 2018, received critical acclaim and viral viewership.
Youssef became a musical ambassador for the United States in 2017 and traveled throughout Central America, performing and facilitating workshops. She is committed to what she describes as 鈥渁rt activism鈥 and has performed numerous times in U.S. prisons. She works with various organizations, including the Congressional Black Caucus and W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to bring awareness to important social issues.
鈥淢aimouna's voice, being, background, and delivery all encompass the very things we seek this celebration to be,鈥 said Nguyen. 鈥淪he is extremely multifaceted and talented, accessible, and powerful, speaking to a wide breadth of generations.
鈥淔ame and accolades aside, I believe that her life experience and perspective as an Afro-Native woman鈥攁nd how these have shaped her music and message鈥攁re things that will deeply draw the audience in, and which the audience will leave reflecting upon.鈥
Puget Sound's 33rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration is made possible through partnerships and dialogue between Puget Sound鈥檚 Office of Intercultural Engagement, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Black Student Union, and African American Studies Program.
33rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Thursday, Jan. 24 | Upper Marshall Hall, Wheelock Student Center
7鈥8:30 p.m. | Doors open at 6:30 p.m. | Reception following event