News Release

Taylor Branch to Speak in Little Rock as Part of NPS Speaker Series

Taylor Branch

J. Brough Schamp

News Release Date: December 18, 2024

Contact: Brian Schwieger, 501-396-3006

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Taylor Branch will speak as part of the NPS Speaker Series on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. CST in Little Rock. The event, a partner program hosted at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, will highlight Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s lasting impact on American society. Open to the public, this presentation will provide a unique opportunity to hear from one of the leading chroniclers of the Civil Rights Movement, in advance of the 40th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday. 

Over his illustrious career, Branch has received numerous prestigious honors, including the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Lifetime Achievement Award, and the National Humanities Medal. 

Branch is best known for his landmark trilogy, America in the King Years, which offers a sweeping narrative of the Civil Rights Era and illuminates both the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the transformative times in which he lived. The first book, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954–63, earned Branch the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and a Christopher Award. Time hailed it as “a major accomplishment in biography as social history,” while President Obama included it in his list of 10 books recommended for future leaders. 

The subsequent volumes, Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963–65 and At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965–68, also garnered critical acclaim. Branch also served as executive producer of the Emmy-winning HBO documentary King in the Wilderness, which provides a “searing portrait” of Dr. King’s final 18 months as he confronted the intertwined challenges of racism, war, and poverty.  

Currently, Branch is working on a new book, Freedom’s Veil: Race in American History. 

About the NPS Speaker Series 

Hosted by the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, the National Park Service Speaker Series is a platform for dialogue and education on equality, justice, and human rights. Featuring a diverse lineup of distinguished speakers, the series fosters conversations that connect historical events with contemporary challenges. 

Since its launch in August 2024, the series has inspired attendees to reflect on their role in advancing civil rights. Each event is designed to deepen understanding of systemic injustices and promote collective action toward a more equitable society.