A Reflection on Our Common Humanity

The annual MLK Commemoration featured a conversation with Duke’s Candis Watts Smith with Abby Phillip of CNN

Abbey Phillip on the left and Candis Watts Smith on the right in chairs at Duke Chapel
Candis Watts Smith, right, with Abby Phillip, anchor for CNN’s NewsNight, at Duke Chapel

Candis Watts Smith, Duke professor of political science, moderated the keynote conversation with Abby Phillip, anchor for CNN’s NewsNight, at Duke University’s annual MLK Commemoration on Sunday, Jan. 18.

“The way forward is to actually finally see each other and to decide together what are the contours of this democracy that we want to live in,” said Phillip. “And I believe that what we did as a nation in that era of Dr. King was say, finally, that there are some things that we are not going to do anymore. We know what has been happening. We are not going to allow that to be what America is anymore.”

View the full recording of the event on the Commemoration website.