Tonya Williams, general counsel for N.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight, will deliver the keynote address Thursday, Jan. 20, as Western Carolina University holds special events to honor the memory of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Williams will speak on “Keeping the Dream Alive: Striving for Peace, Justice and Human Rights Throughout the World” as part of a program sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in the Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center, and is open to the public free of charge. The event will feature musical selections by Western’s Inspirational Choir and will be followed by a reception.

Born in Greenville, N.C., Williams graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She received her law degree from the UNC School of Law in 1999. Upon graduation, she worked as a judicial clerk for Judge Loretta C. Biggs of the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Williams’ speech is one of several events marking the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Western’s Multicultural Center also is sponsoring a trip to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Atlanta on Saturday, Jan. 22, with room for 25 people on the trip.

For more information, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at 828.227.2276.