Our chairman and co-founder Ambassador Andrew Young gave the 13th annual MLK Jr. Lecture tonight at the University of North Carolina on the occasion of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Ambassador Young fought alongside Dr. King for Civil Rights and it is in his memory and spirit our organization was founded in 2005.

“We’re pleased to bring to Carolina someone who as a young leader marched side-by-side with Dr. King and rose through the ranks of the social justice and civil rights movements and beyond,” said Terri Houston, the university’s interim chief diversity officer, about Ambassador Young’s speech.

Ambassador Young discussed our efforts to increase voter participation at the event, which was live tweeted by reesenews, “a digital news publication powered by students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication.” What follows are a collection of tweets before and during Ambassador Young’s question and answer session with Jack Boger, dean and Wade Edwards Distinguished Professor in the School of Law, and UNC senior Amber Koonce.

Here at 31st annual #MLK birthday celebration and the lights are beginning to dim. I’m told there are 535 people here.

— reeseNow (@reeseNow) January 18, 2012

The audience offers a standing ovation for Ambassador Andrew Young as he enters the stage. #MLK

— reeseNow (@reeseNow) January 18, 2012

Young: #MLK was always a reluctant leader. He didn’t want to get into trouble, but couldn’t leave things alone on good conscience.

— reeseNow (@reeseNow) January 18, 2012

Young: Chris Rock says, “If you want to have a party, and you don’t want anybody to come, have it in November on a Tuesday.”

— reeseNow (@reeseNow) January 18, 2012

Young: Why are we voting on Tuesdays? Other countries have about 90 percent voter turnout. They vote on the weekends.

— reeseNow (@reeseNow) January 18, 2012