Walker's work in civil rights enforcement embodies the mission that EDS represents in honoring Daniels, a 26-year-old volunteer civil rights worker and student at Episcopal Divinity School (then Episcopal Theological School) who was killed in Alabama in the summer of 1965. The 1994 General Convention of the Episcopal Church officially recognized Daniels as a martyr, and gave him his own liturgical day in the Church Calendar.

The ETS class of 1966 established a fund in honor of their friend and classmate Daniels to support lectures on issues of civil rights, social justice, and peace; values for which Daniels lived and died.

"In the spring of 1962, while attending Easter services Jon experienced a profound conversion experience," said Steven Charleston, president and dean of EDS. "This experience led him to seminary and to the fight for civil rights that was spreading across the nation. His decision to heed the call for help by Dr. Martin Luther King was a reflection of his spirituality and goodness. He manifestly believed that it was what God wanted him to do. However, these commitments to the cause led him to risk and ultimately lose his life."

Walker, a Boston-based labor and employment attorney, specializes in the areas of employment discrimination and workforce development. Recognized nationally for his work in the area of civil rights enforcement, Walker will speak to the relationship between racism, heterosexism, and the Civil Rights movement.

A question and answer period and a reception will follow the lecture which is free and open to the public; pre-registration is requested.

For more information or to register contact Priscilla Burns at 617-682-1506 or via email at pburns@eds.edu.

EDS is a respected center of study and spiritual formation for lay and ordained leaders with a strong commitment to justice, compassion, and reconciliation. EDS, formed in 1974 with the merger of Philadelphia Divinity School (founded in 1857) and the Episcopal Theological School (founded in 1867), offers doctor of ministry and master's degrees, as well as certificates in theological studies. It is a member of the Boston Theological Institute, a consortium of nine eminent theological schools, seminaries, and departments of religion.