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Former Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch ’81 urged audience members to “never lose infinite hope” despite challenges facing America in her keynote speech for the second annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture in Sanders Theatre Wednesday evening.

“The road to equality in this country has always taken twists and turns and downright reversals,” Lynch said. “But we have always, always pushed forward.”

Lynch, who attended both Harvard College and Harvard Law School, was the first Black woman to hold the office of attorney general in American history. She served from 2015 to 2017 under President Barack Obama’s administration, and she currently works for a New York-based law firm.

In 1962, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech at Harvard Law School titled “The Future of Integration,” where he spoke about racial justice and nonviolent protest. In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of King’s speech, former University president Lawrence S. Bacow established the MLK Commemorative Lecture last year.

Former president of University of Maryland, Baltimore, County Freeman A. Hrabowski III delivered the inaugural lecture and spoke about bringing students from diverse backgrounds into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. In January, Bacow announced Lynch as this year’s Commemorative Lecturer.

Lynch opened her speech on Wednesday by discussing the importance of reflection, noting that 2023 marks the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

“Now, I know, to say that these are difficult times — that there are challenges facing us — is in fact to utter a profound understatement,” she said. “I notice we are living through the reversal of decades of progress on voting rights. We’re seeing the protections of our civil rights laws being pulled back — most especially from our LGBTQ friends and family members and children who need that protection the most.”

Lynch referenced other recent events and challenges America has faced, including the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, and the fall of affirmative action this past June.

“Those of us who are focused on equality, those of us who are focused on moving forward, don’t stop,” Lynch said. “We do not stop.”

“It takes more than just a reminder that the law — no matter how much I may love it — has not always been used to advance equality, to stop us pushing that goal,” she added. “It takes more than willful blindness to what discrimination actually is to stop forward progress.”

Lynch concluded her lecture by reminding audience members of King’s call for hope.

“We don’t know how long this particular pendulum will remain here. It will swing again,” Lynch said. “But we do know — and what I’ve seen — that there are two things constant in this world, no matter how dark the day, no matter how difficult the issue we face.”

“First thing: The sun will rise tomorrow. The second thing: When it does, we will have a voice, always. Always. No one can take that from you,” she added. “Infinite hope. Infinite hope in the face of dark times, for which there was never a guarantee.”

—Staff writer Madeleine A. Hung can be reached at madeleine.hung@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Joyce E. Kim can be reached at joyce.kim@thecrimson.com.