2026 University MLK Commemoration featuring Col. (Ret.) Edna W. Cummings
“Repairing the Record, Building Connection”
Thursday, January 29, 2026 | 6:00pm to 7:30pm (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall (SSS), Room 114 | 1 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT
This event is free and open to the public, and it will also be livestreamed. Registration is required to attend in person.
Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with keynote speaker Col. (Ret.) Edna W. Cummings—veteran, advocate, and historian of the “Six Triple Eight” battalion—followed by a Q&A moderated by New Haven radio host, journalist, and community leader Babz Rawls-Ivy.
A discussion on how we “repair the record and build connection” by bringing untold stories to light and fostering genuine community across generations. An evening of inspiration, reflection, and celebration.
A Fayetteville, NC, native and Army brat, Col. Cummings is a distinguished alumni from Appalachian State University, Boone NC and the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program. She had a distinguished 25-year military career including assignments at Georgetown University, the Pentagon, and NORAD/USNORTHCOM in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After retiring from the Army, she held management positions and led homeland security and information technology initiatives for federal contractors. She is Vice President of Windsor Group, LLC and an Army Reserve Ambassador for Maryland.
Col. Cummings works to bring recognition to the all-Black WWII Women’s Army Corps unit, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (Six Triple Eight). She championed Congressional effort to enact passage of the Six Triple Eight Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021, the nation’s highest civilian honor. She co-produced two documentaries about the 6888th, The Six Triple Eight, and Two Wars.
She has a master’s degree in the Foundations of Education from Troy State University, Troy AL, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, PA. Her highest military award is the Defense Superior Service Medal. In 2020, she was inducted into the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame and currently serves on their Board of Directors. In 2020, Military Officers Association of America recognized her as a national Changemaker and she received the 2022 the NAACP’s Jesse Brown Distinguished Leadership Award. The Center for Women Veterans named her as a 2023 Trailblazer and the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., inducted her as an honorary member. In November 2023, the U.S. Army War College Foundation honored Col. Cummings as an Outstanding Alumnus and in January 2024, the Afro American Newspaper named her Person of the Year. She is also a recipient of the 2025 The Daughters of American Revolution Medal of Honor and recognized as a Mighty 25. Through her advocacy, the Six Triple Eight’s history has reached millions of audiences worldwide. In May 2025 the University of Virgina Press released her memoir, A Soldier’s Life: A Black Woman’s Rise from Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion.
Visit her website for additional information - https://ednacummings.com/
This event is presented by the 2026 Yale & New Haven MLK Commemoration Committee, Yale Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life, and Yale College Dean’s Office in collaboration with Yale Schwarzman Center.