Interview: Juilliard's 12th Annual REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SPEAKER SERIES Explores Art & Race

On Thursday, January 23rd at 6 pm, Juilliard will present the 12th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaker Series. The free program features art and cultural historian Sarah Lewis alongside singers from Juilliard Drama.

Renowned Harvard professor and founder of the civic research initiative Vision & Justice Sarah Lewis will discuss how art can shape democracy and advance racial justice. A Q+A and book signing of her latest book Vision and Justice: The Art of Race and American Citizenship will follow the program. The program ncludes a song performed by Juilliard Drama actor Laëtitia Hollard in conversation with the themes of Lewis’s talk.

We spoke with Hollard and Lewis about this year's program.

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Sarah, what are you planning to discuss in your lecture this week?

Sarah Lewis: I will make the case that the work of visual culture—monuments, markers, images—is the closest thing we have to a Truth & Reconciliation Commission in the United States. What do we owe each other? In American democracy, it is representation: the right to be seen justly. Law alone would never be enough for this work. Culture—the arts—is often seen as the least important path toward justice. My lecture will address how important and impactful vision and culture are in the United States today. It’s an extension of the work of the Vision & Justice initiative.

Your latest book and research initiative, Vision & Justice, focuses on the intersection between race and justice with the visual arts. Has studying this topic given you any insights into how music affects "our inherited perceptions of the world"?

SL: Music transports us. It does more than offer respite when nothing else will. It does more than cohere our soul, though that is enough. The power of music has been central for the work of justice around the world.

One powerful example came to me through jazz musician and Director of Juilliard Jazz Wynton Marsalis, who told me about Charles Black, Jr. Black was young, in college, went to a dance and heard the power of Louis Armstrong’s horn in 1931. It was a period of deep segregation. But the genius of what came of out of Armstrong’s horn told —the power of that musical mastery told him—that society was wrong to believe that segregation was just, to believe that racial hierarchy was right.

Based on what he heard, that young man, Charles Black, felt inspired to walk towards justice. He went on to become one of the lawyers for the Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education that went on to help outlaw segregation in the United States. Each year, at Columbia University and Yale University where he taught in the Law Schools, he would hold a Louis Armstrong listening night to honor the power of music for the work of creating a more just society.

What other projects or ideas have you been working on? What's the next thing you're working on?

SL: So many! For now, I can share that I’m planning the second Convening for the Vision & Justice initiative that will take place this time in New York City on October 6th and 7th at the Ford Foundation, co-organized with Sherrilyn Ifill. Vision & Justice is a civic and cultural initiative that reveals the role of visual culture in advancing racial equity and justice in America. The Vision & Justice Convening is one of its anchor programs that I started in 2019. I’m[GU1]  also finishing up a book for One World/Random House for my editor Chris Jackson that has me excited.

Laëtitia, how do you feel about performing "A Change is Gonna Come" at this talk?

Laëtitia Hollard: I’m deeply honored and excited to be performing this song. President Woetzel invited me to sing it, and I couldn’t agree more with the choice. “A Change is Gonna Come” is such a powerful anthem for change, and its message speaks to me on a personal level. I faced a lot of discrimination growing up mixed race in a primarily white town in Wisconsin. I remember when I was in elementary school, someone told me that my skin was dirty. I went home, scrubbing my skin desperately, trying to rid myself of my Blackness. The shame I felt was completely undeserved. Being part of this moment, with such an iconic song, in such an iconic school, is truly a privilege and something little me would never have been able to fathom.

Were you already familiar with this song before being asked to perform it? What's your history with the song?

LH: Yes! My mom was a huge Sam Cooke fan, and his voice was a constant in our home. “A Change is Gonna Come” especially resonated with me—it’s a song of resilience and hope. Cooke's voice was always captivating, but I couldn't understand the depth of what he was saying as a child. It was in my teen years that his words shaped my understanding of struggle, but more importantly, it gave me an understanding of the possibility of change. It’s a song that stayed with me throughout my life and continues to resonate deeply.

What are some of your other favorite Civil Rights-era songs?

LH: Some of my other favorites include "Lift Every Voice and Sing," "We Shall Overcome," and "Strange Fruit." Each of these songs carries a heavy legacy, and they have a timeless quality that still resonates today. They speak to the struggles of the past while offering a vision for a better future.

What do you think about music's power to carry messages of social change?

LH: I believe music is an incredibly powerful tool for social change. It gives a voice to the marginalized, to people whose pain is often overlooked. Music can amplify voices of resistance and hope, creating a shared space for collective healing and action. It has the unique ability to speak to the heart, and as history has shown, it can move entire movements forward.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

LH: I’m really thrilled to perform this song on Thursday, January 23 at Juilliard’s 12th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaker Series. Growing up in a small, predominantly white town in Wisconsin, I was often the only Black person in the room, which felt isolating and exposed me to discrimination. I’ve experienced the sting of hate simply for being different.
My time at Juilliard through the artist as citizen lens made me realize that both the arts and legislative action have equal power to change hearts and minds. I think Martin Luther King Jr. said it best when he praised Lorraine Hansberry for her ability to drive change through her art, rather than by marching as he did. For me, performing—acting, singing—is my way of pushing through the hatred I’ve faced and shining a light for others whose voices have been dimmed.

Singing “A Change is Gonna Come” in 2025 feels like a return to that hopeful message, reminding us that change is still possible. The song remains as relevant today as it was when it was first written, and I find a renewed sense of hope in this new wave of activism. Even in the face of adversity, we have the power to move forward, to make change happen.

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Find more information about Juilliard’s 12th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaker Series on Thursday, January 23 and reserve your free tickets here.

Photo features professor Sarah Lewis. Photo credit: Stephanie Mitchell

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