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Black History Month and MLK Day Featured Speakers
Featured Speakers |
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Daughter of Malcom X
Ilyasah bint Al-Shaheed Malik Al-Shabazz is an author, activist and lecturer dedicated to preserving the Shabazz Family legacy of service to humanity. Her father, martyred human rights activist, Al-Shaheed Malik Al-Shabazz, widely known as Malcolm X, was a man of impeccable integrity and character who remains globally revered as one of the most important human rights leaders of the United States. Malcolm X was only in his early thirties when his passionate and eloquent stand for justice earned him a platform on the international stage, campaigning against institutionalised oppression. His examples of sacrifice, self respect, dignity and altruism continue to inspire millions of people from all backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities to truly believe in equality, justice and freedom as attainable inalienable rights intended for all of humanity. The Autobiograhy of Malcolm X has remained on the international best-seller’s list since its publication in 1965. Read More...
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 Dick
Gregory
Dick Gregory is a brilliant comedian, leading civil and human rights activist, well-received author of 15 books, recording artist with seven records, television and film personality, leading nutritionist, veteran, of over 100 fasts, and man totally committed to non-violent social change. Behind this man are his wife, Lillian, and their ten children. Michele, Lynne, Pamela, Paula, Zenobia (Stephanie), Gregory, Miss, Christian, Ayanna, and Yohance. For the past 42 years, the Dick Gregory family has made sacrifice after sacrifice for the Civil Rights Movement. Read More...
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 Harry
Belefonte - World Renowned Actor and ActivistPrice Range: Call For Quote Topics: Celebrity, Diversity
Harry Belafonte has been called “the consummate
entertainer”- an artist in every field in which, he has
participated - a concert singer, a recording artist, a movie,
Broadway and television star and producer. Belafonte’s
activity in the human rights struggle is globally respected. His awards and recognitions include both worlds, as artist and humanitarian. He believes that his work for human rights and his artistic pursuits give him the basis for a most productive and balanced life. Neither overshadows the other, and both are extremely important to him. Read More...
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 Nikki
Giovanni - Poet
Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past thirty years, her outspokenness, in her writing and in lectures, has brought the eyes of the world upon her. One of the most widely-read American poets, she prides herself on being "a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English." Giovanni remains as determined and committed as ever to the fight for civil rights and equality. Always insisting on presenting the truth as she sees it, she has maintained a prominent place as a strong voice of the Black community. Her focus is on the individual, specifically, on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others. Read More... |
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Dr. Boyce Watkins has presented his message to millions, appearing regularly on CNN, ESPN, Fox News, and many more national media outlets. Although Dr. Watkins has his Ph.D. in finance, he is also an expert on a variety of topics including education and black social commentary. Read more...
Video Footage of Dr. Watkins:
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Price Range: Call for Quote As the mother of one of the greatest athletes of all time, Lucille O'Neal's journey is exceptional; but her story reveals that she is more than just "Shaquille O'Neal's mom." She is a woman you know; a woman you understand. Perhaps your own journey resembles hers. O'Neal has been a rebellious teen, a single mother, a wife, a college student, a divorcee and, above all, a woman of unique courage. Read More...
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As one of the nation’s leading
experts on the art of maximizing human potential, Entertainment
Attorney MARSHAWN EVANS is Founder of MEU
Consulting, a corporate life-enrichment consulting firm
focusing on peak performance, diversity, workforce readiness,
and dynamic leadership strategies. MEU
consults with Fortune 500 Companies and
human resource departments on leading peak performance strategies,
while offering unique insight from her experiences working with
professional athletes, practicing as an employment
lawyer, and as a national competitor. As a pioneering
woman in the world of professional sports, she is President
of EDGE 3M Sports & Entertainment (www.edge3m.com) ‑
a brand management firm responsible for elevating the profile
of elite entertainers and athletes in the NBA and NFL, helping
make her clients peak performers on and off the field.
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Judge Karen Mills-Francis has a colorful and engaging style that is as distinctive as her bold burgundy robe and her bright blonde hair. As quick to aid the helpless as she is to dismiss the hare-brained, Judge Karen confidently dished out justice to a national television audience with the half-hour syndicated courtroom series, Judge Karen. She is famous for the lines "Stay in your Lane, I know how to Drive". For fall 2010 Judge Karen will be back in session with Judge Karen's Court. Along with the new season Judge Karen will be debuting "Stay In Your Lane: A Guide to Living Your Best Life," a book of anecdotal essays aimed at uplifting and advising readers towards a happier and healthier existence.Read More...
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 Lynn
Whitfield - Emmy Award Winning Actress
Growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Lynn Whitfield first watched the likes of Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and Bette Davis in "All About Eve" from her grandmother's lap. She loved classic movies and with child-like confidence, she could see no reason she could not become an actress and some day play those same types of roles. Over the course of nearly three decades, the talent of the little girl who dreamed of being on the silver screen has taken her to the heights of the acting profession and earned the respect of the public and her peers. Read More...
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With his Multi-Grammy Award winning music career and his continued work in film, Common has emerged as one of Hollywood's most sought after leading men. He has been seen on the silver screen in films such as SMOKIN ACES, AMERICAN GANGSTER, WANTED, TERMINATOR SALVATION and was most recently in DATE NIGHT and JUST WRIGHT. . Read More...
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 Dr.
Julianne Malveaux - President of Bennett College for
Women, Economist, and Women's ActivistPrice Range: $9,000 - $12,000 Topics: Black History, Economics, Race Relations, Women in Society Dr. Julianne Malveaux is the President of Bennett College for Women. Recognized for her progressive and insightful observations, she is also an economist, author and commentator, and has been described by Dr. Cornel West as “the most iconoclastic public intellectual in the country.” Dr. Malveaux’s contributions to the public dialogue on issues such as race, culture, gender, and their economic impacts, are shaping public opinion in 21st century |
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Price Range: $10,000 - $12,000 Roland S. Martin is a nationally award-winning and multifaceted journalist.
A nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate and the author of Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith, and Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America. He also serves as executive editor of the Chicago Defender, the nation’s largest Black daily newspaper. |
 Dr.
Julia Hare Price Range: Call for Quote Topics: Education, Diversity, Black History, Best-selling author, Motivation Dr. Julia Hare, National Executive Director of The Black Think Tank, is widely regarded as one of the most dynamic speakers on major podiums today.
Ebony magazine recognized Dr. Hare’s prominence as one of the 150 Most Influential African-Americans in the United States for 2008. The editors recognized her in the category of “Education,” along with other awardees from such institutions as Harvard, Princeton, Wake Forest, Harvard Law School, Georgetown and Duke. Read More...
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Price Range: Call for Quote Kevin Powell is widely considered one of America’s most important voices in these early years of the 21st century. Legendary feminist Gloria Steinem asserts that "as a charismatic speaker, leader, and a very good writer, Kevin Powell has the courage...to be fully human, and this will bring the deepest revolution of all." Internationally acclaimed scholar and social critic Dr. Michael Eric Dyson has called Powell "a mighty wind of fresh air." And of Kevin Powell the writer asha bandele says “When you consider the intelligence and breadth of Kevin Powell’s writing and activism, you come to the conclusion that there may be no better spokesperson and representative for a generation that has too long been counted out.” Read More... |
 MC
Lyte
MC Lyte, the original, the prototype, the first black woman to invade the hip-hop spotlight and lay down rhymes as hard and fast as anyone before or since, is back. And Da Undaground Heat Vol. 1 Hosted by Jamie Foxx, with its tongue-ripping rhythms and stripped-down textures, makes it plain that even after her four-year hiatus, Lyte stands supreme as the queen of this scene. Longtime fans will recognize the style immediately: her husky timbre, sometimes purring, sometimes preaching; that confidence that invites others to strengthen themselves through her positive energy; the bare-bones beats that give the message the full play it deserves … “That's how I like it,” Lyte says. “To me, that's real hip-hop, not when a rapper has to fight against the tracks. Read More...
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Price Range: $3,000 - $6,000
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 Terrence
Jenkins
Terrence J is a young man with a master plan. From apprenticing with NASCAR® to working on radio and throwing some of the best social gatherings around, Terrence J has been preparing himself for superstardom and making sure that his life is the American Dream, blasted out of the box. Now, he’s using his hosting spot on BET®’s 106 and Park, the hottest music program in the world (airing in the US, Japan and the UK), to take his plan to the next level. Since taking over as host almost 4 years ago, Terrence J has watched his plan get bigger and he’s been able to do things that most people can only dream of doing. He’s interviewed such megastars as Madonna, Will Smith, Harrison Ford, Jamie Foxx, Beyonce and Jay-Z. He’s hosting, along with co-host Rocsi, 106 and Park Weekend Countdown, a syndicated radio program that is broadcast across the country and throughout the Caribbean. Read More... |
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 Warren
Ballentine - Nationally Syndicated Radio Host and Motivational
Speaker
Warren Ballentine has galvanized millions of people to not just complain, but to take action to solve problems. Ballentine’s series, The Warren Ballentine Show, is syndicated in 20 markets, and is one of the highest-rated urban talk shows in the nation. The show has been making headlines and pushing the envelope since Ballentine hit the airwaves. He continues to engage his listeners while discussing, analyzing and dissecting ideas and issues targeted to not just the African-American audience, but that impact the nation. Affectionately, referred to as “The People’s Attorney,” Ballentine is not only an attorney, but a prolific radio personality and motivational speaker who brings a diverse skill set to talk radio. The no holds barred talk show host, shoots straight from the hip and inspires his listeners, known as The Truthfighters, to create solutions and not focus on just the problems. Read More...
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 Farai
Chideya - Host of NPR's News and Notes
Farai Chideya is a multimedia journalist who has worked in print, television, online, and radio. Prior to joining NPR's News & Notes, Chideya hosted Your Call, a daily news and cultural call-in show on San Francisco's KALW 91.7 FM. Chideya has also been a correspondent for ABC News, anchored the prime time program Pure Oxygen on the Oxygen women's channel, and contributed commentaries to CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and BET. She got her start as a researcher and reporter at Newsweek magazine. In 1997 Newsweek named her to its "Century Club" of 100 people to watch. Read More... |
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 Kenneth
B. Morris Jr. - Direct Descendant of Fredrick Douglass
and Booker T. Washington
Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. is descended from two of the most important names in American history: he is the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington. This extraordinary lineage flows through the maternal side of his family by way of the union of his grandmother, Nettie Hancock Washington (granddaughter of Booker T. Washington), and his grandfather, Dr. Frederick Douglass III (great grandson of Frederick Douglass). When Ken's mother, Nettie Washington Douglass, was born she was the first to unite the bloodlines. Ken is the first male to do so.Read More.. |
 Jordan
Coleman
Jordan Christopher Coleman is a young man on a mission. At 14-years-old, he's a filmmaker, actor, author, education activist and athlete. He was recently named one of the 25 Most Influential People In Our Children's Lives by Children's Health magazine. Jordan is a finalist for the 2009 DoSomething Awards which recognizes young people who make a difference and was featured on CNN's Young People Who Rock series. For three years, Jordan has been the voice of Tyrone the Moose on Nickelodeon's Emmy Award-Winning animated series The Backyardigans." Jordan's mom challenged him to use some of his earnings from “The Backyardigans” to make a positive impact in his community. Jordan wrote, directed and produced “Say It Loud!” a youth film that explores the importance of education for African-American youth. Read More... |
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 L'Heureux
Lewis
Dr. L'Heureux Lewis is a leading scholar and activist in education, youth culture, and public policy. His research and commentary have been sought for television, radio, and community forums because they concentrate on expanding conversations, deepening analysis, and creating traction towards racial and gender equality. He is an assistant professor of Sociology, Black Studies, and Public Policy at the City College of New York CUNY.
His talks go beyond "achievement gaps" and "diversity" to highlight the ways that institutions and individuals can foster communities through challenging privileges and building common ground. He is currently completing his book Inequality in the Promised Land that looks at the ways suburban school districts and families deal with issues of racial and economic diversity. The changing national and international landscape necessitate deeper, more sustainable and meaningful engagement, conversations and research. Read More... |
 Tanya
Kersey
As one of Hollywood's most respected and well-regarded entertainment journalists and commentators, Tanya has her finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the world of urban entertainment. Throughout her career, Tanya has developed and earned a reputation for covering the entertainment industry, focusing on celebrities, film, television, music, fashion, award shows, special events and the business of entertainment in a trend-setting, groundbreaking format.
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 George
Curry
George E. Curry is a public speaker, news commentator, and a columnist for the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA), the Philadelphia Inquirer and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund's online site, thedefendersonline.com.
He is a former Washington correspondent and New York bureau chief for the Chicago Tribune, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine and former editor-in-chief of the NNPA News Service. He started his journalism career as a reporter for Sports Illustrated and was also a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Read More... |
 Lerone
Bennett
Lerone Bennett has spent over 50 years telling the untold history of African Americans. As a journalist and author, he has used his talents to help combat racism and explore race relations and the history of the black experience in the United States.
Born on October 17, 1928 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Bennett grew up in Jackson, where his passion for history and the written word first emerged. He viewed these pursuits as a way to understand and overcome the violence and oppression of the segregated world in which he lived. The world of journalism also attracted Bennett at an early age. Growing up, he worked as a newsboy and gofer for journalists at two local black newspapers. Inspired by the strong male role models in Jackson, he enrolled in Moorehouse College and in 1949 he earned a Bachelor's degree in journalism. Read More...
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 Avis
Jones-DeWeever
An authoritative voice on race, gender, politics, and the production of positive social change, Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever is widely regarded as one of the most engaging and informative political and social commentators in the US. Currently serving as the Executive Director of the National Council of Negro Women, the nation’s oldest organization devoted to the advancement of both civil rights and women’s rights, her work catalyzes and mobilizes some four million women of African descent within the United States and throughout the Diaspora.Read More... |
 Ayinde
Jean Baptiste
Festac, Lagos, 1993: an “old soul” child of 10 years old, fresh from across the Atlantic is running around with his aunty's children and the neighbor children, and while you would think that a short visit wouldn’t change much, she notes that they are a little more unruly, perhaps a little more introspective, a little different since he came, and she dubs them 'Ayinsko' - Yoruba slang for 'Ayinde and his people/crew/squad/team.' Seems Ayinde raises enough ruckus or points to the true path enough that there is a word for what is born when the people listen. For this Ayinde it came to mean all those he carried with him – in him, fam, crew, and of course that nebulous and contested construct ‘the people,’ and he held on to it – he held on to them. Read More... |
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Cyrus Marcellus Ellis earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree
in Counselor Education from The Curry School of Education at
The University of Virginia. While at the University of Virginia,
Dr. Ellis was awarded the William Van Hoose Memorial Award from
The Curry School of Education Foundation in April of 1999. Dr. Ellis earned a Masters degree in Counseling Services and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. While at Rider, Dr. Ellis was awarded the Lincoln Scott Walter Award in Counseling in 1996 and earned a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve in 1992. Read More.. |
 Spike
Lee Award Winning Filmmaker and Social Activist
As a writer-director, actor, producer, author and educator, Spike Lee has revolutionized the role of black talent in cinema. Widely regarded as one of today’s premier American filmmakers, Lee is a forerunner in the do it yourself school of independent film. His most recent work, When The Levees Broke, a groundbreaking documentary focusing on the plight of Americans stranded in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, has garnered rave critical review and is considered by many to be the definitive account of that catastrophic event. Just prior to Levees he completed his 19th feature film Inside Man starring Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen. Mr. Lee first established his unique perspective in 1986 with the independently financed She’s Gotta Have It. Recent critical and box office successes have included such films as The 25th Hour, The Original Kings of Comedy, Bamboozled and Summer of Sam. Lee’s films, Girl 6, Get on The Bus, Do The Right Thing, She Hate Me and Clockers display his ability to showcase a series of outspoken and provocative socio-political critiques that challenge cultural assumptions not only about race but also class and gender identity. Mr. Lee is currently developing dramatic projects for network television as well as completing early prep for his next feature film. Read More... |
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 John
W Marshall
John W. Marshall is the younger of two sons of Thurgood Marshall,
the lead attorney in Brown v Board of Education, and our nation’s
first African-American Associate Justice of the United States
Supreme Court. John specializes in motivational speeches dealing
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 Ed
Gordon Emmy Award Winning Newsmaker, producer, writer, broadcaster, and host of BET Tonight.
Hard hitting, inspiring, intelligent, honest, and direct. These are some of the words used to describe the style and approach of Emmy award winning broadcaster Ed Gordon. Known for his stellar interaction with newsmakers from the worlds of politics, entertainment, and sports his name is synonymous with the “big” interview. Gordon’s knack for landing exclusives and his no-nonsense style make him one of television’s most respected journalists. Now, Gordon displays all aspects of his interviewing expertise on BET as the host of Weekly with Ed Gordon, a fast-paced roundtable talk show that highlights the week’s most important stories from politics to pop culture. The weekly 30-minute program is a mix of one-on-one headline interviews with today’s top newsmakers and celebrities and an eclectic roundtable discussion. Gordon also hosts his critically acclaimed, award-winning specials Conversations with Ed Gordon. This latest assignment marks Gordon’s third stint with BET and adds to the list of impressive positions Gordon has held over the years, including contributing correspondent for the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes II and contributor for NBC’s Today Show and Dateline. His diverse style also makes him one of the most versatile people in broadcasting. He also hosted News and Notes with Ed Gordon, which aired on National Public Radio and the nationally syndicated television program, Our World. Read More... |
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 Hill
Harper
Hill Harper is an award winning actor, bestselling author and philanthropist. Hill is the author of three New York Times bestsellers: Letters to a Young Brother, Letters to a Young Sister, and The Conversation. Letters to a Young Brother was named “Best Book for Young Adults” by the American Library Association in 2007. Hill currently stars on the hit television drama CSI:NY as Dr. Read More... |
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