U.S. Education Secretary to Attend National Action Network’s Event to Honor Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will join civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton for an annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 15, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C. Duncan will give brief remarks during the luncheon, honoring King’s legacy and describing the Department’s continued efforts to promote educational equity. The event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., is hosted by the National Action Network and will bring together civil rights, labor, education and public policy leaders, as well as clergy.

The National Action Network also will host another King Day event at 6 p.m. at the House of Justice in New York City. The Network is a nonprofit civil rights organization founded by Rev. Sharpton. It addresses the social and economic injustices experienced by African Americans in the United States. Rev. Sharpton has called education reform the civil rights issue of the 21st century.