The idea for Stichting Martin Luther King Lezing was born during the visit of King's biographer Clayborne Carson and Mark Gonnerman from Stanford University. The yearly lecture is initiated by
Justice and Peace Netherlands in The Hague and VU (Free University Amsterdam), where Martin Luther King received a honorary degree in 1965. Every year on April 4 this lecture is
held in Amsterdam or The Hague. The first lecture was in 2008, King's 40th anniversary. The foundation stands for an inclusive approach to diversity because the legacy of King still is
too relevant today. In 2018 the lecture was held in The Hague, discussing "Live together or perish as fools".