Doug Blackmon is the Wall Street Journal’s bureau chief in Atlanta. Over the past 20 years, he has written extensively about the American quandary of race, exploring the integration of schools during his childhood in a Mississippi Delta farm town, lost episodes of the Civil Rights movement, and, repeatedly, the dilemma of how a contemporary society should grapple with a troubled past. Many of his stories in The Wall Street Journal have explored the interplay of wealth, corporate conduct and racial segregation. In 2001, he revealed how U.S. Steel Corp. relied on forced black laborers in Alabama coal mines in the early 20th century. The article led to his first book, Slavery By Another Name, which broadly examines how a form of neoslavery thrived in the U.S. long after legal abolition. The title of his presentation was "A Persistent Past: Reckoning with Our Troubled Racial History in the Age of Obama."

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, held at Carleton's Skinner Memorial Chapel on Monday, Jan. 19, 2009.

Melissa Harris-Lacewell is Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University. She is the author of the award-winning book Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought. She is currently at work on a new book, Sista Citizen: For Colored Girls Who've Considered Politics When Being Strong Wasn't Enough. Her academic research is inspired by a desire to investigate the challenges facing contemporary black Americans and to better understand the multiple, creative ways that African Americans respond to these challenges. Her creative and dynamic teaching is also motivated by the practical political and racial issues of our time; for example, exploring the multiple political meanings of Hurricane Katrina. She has taught students from grade school to graduate school and has been recognized for her commitment to the classroom as a site of democratic deliberation on race. On the occasion of the celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the title of her presentation was "King in the Age of Obama."

Gary Telgenhoff is a forensic pathologist and consultant for the hit television drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." As the Deputy Medical Examiner at the Clark County Coroner's Office in Las Vegas, Nevada, Telgenhoff sees approximately one thousand bodies a year, 450 of which he autopsies. His presence is often required in court with regard to his findings and determination of cause and manner of death. "CSI" has brought crime scenes into America's living room and has sparked a wave of interest in forensic science as a career. Telgenhoff uses science, experience, and his own macabre sense of humor to explain how he speaks for the deceased in trying to solve their demise. The title of his presentation was "Speak for You: Telling the Tales the Dead Can't Tell."

Enrique Morones is the founder of Border Angels, a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides support and relief to migrant workers on the United States-Mexico border. A high percentage of deaths among migrants have been the results of extreme heat and cold weather conditions in the Imperial Valley desert areas and the mountain areas surrounding San Diego County, as well as the areas located around the United States and Mexican border. Border Angels is an all-volunteer group that places food, water and other provisions on the border areas to help save migrant lives. Morones’ presentation was titled "The Human Side of the Story: People Behind the Immigration Policy Debates."

Charlene Teters is a Native American artist, teacher, writer and activist. Her paintings and art installations have been featured in over 21 major exhibitions, commissions, and collections. As an internationally recognized artist, Teters expresses her personal and political views about America's dehumanization of Indian Peoples by creating multimedia installations that examine the social presumptions and portrayals of Indian people in pop culture and media. For the past two decades, Teters has been active in opposing the use of Native American mascots and other imagery in sports, and is a founding board member of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media. Teters delivered the Native American Heritage Convocation to help us celebrate and reflect on the legacies and the richness of Native American communities and individuals. Sponsored by the Office of Intercultural Life, the title of the presentation was "If Not You, Then Who?"

Scott Olson is known worldwide as the man who invented, named and marketed Rollerblades, praised by Time magazine as one of the 100 coolest products of the 20th century, alongside computers, cell phones and Post-it notes. The success of slapping four roller skate wheels down the middle of an ice skate was only the beginning for Scott; after growing bored with rowing on a stationary rowing machine in an indoor gym, Scott thought: "Why can’t I put this thing on wheels and go outside?" And his next successful invention, Rowbike, was born. Scott has gone on to invent and market many products, including Antarctic Lawn Penguins, Lunar Bed, Kong Pong and his biggest endeavor yet: a cross between cycling, riding a roller coaster and human-powered flight known simply as Sky Bike. With the same passion and excitement it took to create his inventions, Scott shared his exciting entrepreneurial journey and the keys to his success in his convocation address: "Fit Innovation: Exercise Your Entrepreneurial Spirit."