Two Loyola Marymount University alumni will be honored when the Honorable Judge Irma Brown and Ambassador J. Steven Rhodes join LMU’s Interfaith Celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.
Brown, who earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1970 and her J.D. from LMU Loyola Law School in 1973, is a retired California Superior Court judge and Los Angeles Municipal Court judge, and a member of the prestigious John M. Langston Bar Association Hall of Fame. She serves on LMU’s Board of Trustees, the African American Alumni Association Board of Directors, and is a former member of the LMU Board of Regents.
Rhodes, who earned his bachelor’s in business administration in 1973, served under former President George H.W. Bush as U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe and as White House chief domestic policy advisor when Bush was vice president. While serving under former President Ronald Regan, he is credited among those who persuaded the president to honor Martin Luther King Jr. with a national holiday. He is a leader in socially conscious proprietary business development, with expertise in oil, gas, and new energy models.
This year’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Celebration also marks the 50th anniversary of the merger between Loyola University and Marymount College. The service starts at 11 a.m. in St. Robert’s Auditorium on LMU’s Westchester campus, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles 90045.
The event is hosted by LMU’s Office of Black Student Services, Ethnic and Intercultural Services, The Learning Community, Campus Ministry, and Student EXP. Past speakers include civil rights activist, entrepreneur and real estate developer Danny Bakewell Sr.; activist and criminal justice reform leader Susan Burton; womanist scholar-activist Melina Abdullah; U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters; and civil rights figure Rev. James Lawson.