A former U.S. ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania and former U.S. Delegate appointed by President Clinton, Charles Stith was the keynote speaker at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Convocation Jan. 21 in Weaver Chapel. Stith, author and a graduate of the Harvard University Divinity School, discussed “Martin Luther King’s Vision: Implications for a Global Village” on the national holiday honoring the contributions of the civil rights leader.

The founder and former national president of the Organization for a New Equality (O.N.E.), which focuses on expanding economic opportunity for minorities and women, Stith has served on numerous national advisory boards and has been honored for his work involving global economies, HIV and AIDS, justice issues, community development and religious causes.

“The challenge [Martin Luther King Jr.] would raise for us today is that we struggle and strive to see each other and know each other in a way that is deeper and more profound than the level in which we presently engage each other,” Stith said. As ambassador to the Republic of Tanzania, Stith was charged with stabilizing the embassy after the Aug. 7, 1998 bombing and advancing President Clinton’s “Africa Growth and Opportunity Initiative.”

Stith, who currently lives in Boston, was the latest in a long line of accomplished speakers to appear at Wittenberg for the annual convocation, which became part of the Wittenberg Series in 1991. Last year, Columbus City attorney Janet Jackson’75 was the keynote speaker.