Annual distinguished Lectures have been an event of the Michael Manley Foundation since 2003. The Lecture is scheduled each year for December 10, the anniversary of Mr Manley’s birth. However, the inaugural Lecture, originally scheduled for December 10, 2002, was unavoidably postponed to January 27, 2003; and the tenth Lecture, first scheduled for December 10, 2011, was postponed to April 26, 2012, because the earlier date coincided with the peak of the December 2011 general-election campaign.
| Date | Lecturer | Subject |
| 1st (Jan. 2003) | Hon. Dr Kenny Anthony Prime Minister of St Lucia |
“Has the moment passed? Reflections on Caribbean integration after Michael Manley” |
| 2nd (Dec. 2003) | Sir George Alleyne Chancellor of UWI |
“Globalisation and the challenges to Caribbean health” |
| 3rd (Dec. 2004) | Ms Rachel Manley, poet and biographer |
“The Quest for a Caribbean Voice” |
| 4th (Dec. 2005) | Hon. Barbara Gloudon journalist & playwright |
“Michael Manley and Community Development” |
| 5th (Dec. 2006) | Dr Manning Marable Professor of Public Affairs, History & African-American Studies Columbia University |
“Empire, Racism and Global Apartheid and prospects for a democratic future” |
| 6th (Dec. 2007) | Dr Peter Phillips, MP Leader of Opposition Buisness House of Representatives |
“Preserving the Michael Manley legacy towards a progressive political agenda in the current period |
| 7th (Dec. 2008) | Mr Lloyd Goodleigh General Secretary National Workers Union |
“Michael Manley in a globalised world” |
| 8th (Dec. 2009) | Professor Stephen Vasciannie Principal of Norman Manley Law School, UWI |
“Jamaica and the World: Aspects of International Law” |
| 9th (Dec. 2010) | Hon. Dr Carlton Davis | “Michael Manley: Some visions that remain relevant” |
| 10th (April 2012) | Professor Anthony Bogues Harmon Family Professor and Professor of Africana Studies, Brown University, RI, USA |
“Michael Manley: The politics of decolonisation” |
| 11th (Dec. 2012) | Dr Densil Williams, Senior Lecturer & Deputy Executive Director, Mona School of Business & Management, University of the West Indies |
“Beyond the Grave: Is Manley’s economic philosophy relevant to the advancement of contemporary Jamaica?” |