Darren Walker Praises Harvard President Garber in Fourth Annual MLK Lecture

Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, praised Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 on Monday as “a leader who showed up at the right time” during this year’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture.

Walker, who will step down from his role as president of the social justice nonprofit next week, told hundreds of Harvard affiliates gathered in Memorial Church that with Garber, the University can “overcome this moment.”

While Walker never detailed Harvard’s challenges during the talk, Garber has led the University through a period of remarkable turmoil with the federal government since taking over in 2024. After a series of major financial hits earlier this year, Harvard officials are negotiating over federal funding and international student enrollment with the White House.

This year marked the fourth iteration of the lecture at Harvard. Previous honorees include Sherrilyn Ifill, Loretta E. Lynch ’81, and Freeman A. Hrabowski III.

In his keynote address, titled “The Idea of America: Reflections on Inequality, Democracy, and the Values We Share,” Walker said growing inequality has thrown global democracy “dangerously out of bounds.”

“I could not have imagined that in my lifetime, in my America, we would see strands of populism and illiberalism that seemed to take root only in far away places,” said Walker, who became president of the Ford Foundation in 2013.

Garber introduced Walker at the event, and said he was “very proud of” the tradition to reflect on King’s legacy.

“We seek excellence that lifts others up, mends a fractured world, and inspires all of us to do the same in whatever way we are able,” Garber said.

Walker began his speech by applauding Garber for his actions as president.

“You have stepped into this role with such courage, and grace, and bravery — and a sense that you are on a mission not only to save Harvard, but to save the soul of America,” he said.

Garber first became interim University president after the sudden resignation of former Harvard President Claudine Gay on Jan. 2, 2024. He was later given the permanent position, but he has pledged to step down in 2027.

In addition to its current negotiations with the Trump administration, Harvard is taking unprecedented steps to cut back its spending, including laying off faculty and staff, reducing Ph.D. admissions by more than half, and ending building leases at the Longwood campus.

But Walker said that Harvard was capable of weathering the current storm.

“Harvard community, we are ready for this moment,” he said. “You are ready for this moment. We will beat this moment, rejoicing in hope, patience, and tribulation. We shall overcome this moment as we have others before.”

When Walker steps down in November, Heather K. Gerken, dean of Yale Law School, will serve as the Ford Foundation’s next president.

The Ford Foundation, founded in 1936 by Edsel B. Ford, primarily acts as a philanthropic private foundation with the stated goal of promoting “human welfare.” As acting president of the foundation, Walker issued a $1 billion bond to support nonprofit organizations during the pandemic.

Walker, who was previously vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation, told students in a question-and-answer session following the talk that they should learn from the lives of others, but ultimately build their “own story.”

“It’s not about finding someone and saying I want to be them. It’s about saying, ‘What do I think I want to do in the world?’” Walker said. “I think it is important to build your own story and to take the things that you admire and you would see in others and use them in your own way.”

—Staff writer Chantel A. De Jesus can be reached at chantel.dejesus@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @c_a_dejesus.