Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, host of  MSNBC’s “Melissa Harris Perry,” will join the NC State community as it reflects on the life and  legacy of civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for the 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King Commemoration on Jan. 12. The event is free and open to the public.

Harris-Perry is the featured speaker. The annual event will begin at 6 pm in the Talley Student Center Ballroom.

In addition to hosting her own show Dr. Harris-Perry is a contributing editor of Essence Magazine and author of SISTER CITIZEN: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America For Colored Girls Who’ve Considered Politics When Being Strong Isn’t Enough.

No stranger to North Carolina, Dr. Harris-Perry graduated from Wake Forest University with a bachelor’s degree in English and later attended Duke University where she received a PhD in political science.