Keith Boykin is a national political commentator, TV and film producer, New York Times best-selling author, and a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. His latest books are Race Against Time: The Politics of a Darkening America (2021), Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom (2022) and Why Does Everything Have to Be About Race? (2024).
A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Keith has taught at American University in Washington, D.C., the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University, and City College of New York. He is a co-founder and first board president of the National Black Justice Coalition and a Lambda Literary Award-winning author of six books.
Keith was a co-host of the BET talk show My Two Cents, starred on the Showtime reality TV series American Candidate, worked as an associate producer of the film Dirty Laundry, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including BET’s Being Mary Jane. He was also the featured male model in the 2022 Ralph Lauren "Pride" campaign.
Born in St. Louis, Keith has lived in 12 cities, visited 48 of the 50 United States, and traveled the world. He lives in Los Angeles.
New York Times best-selling author and TV's leading commentator on politics, race, and sexual orientation
- For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Still Not Enough: Coming of Age, Coming Out, and Coming Home
- In this lecture, Keith Boykin addresses longstanding issues of sexual abuse, suicide, HIV/AIDS, racism, and homophobia in the African-American and Latino communities, and more specifically among young gay men of color. During his lecture, Keith shares stories of real people coming of age, coming out, dealing with religion and spirituality, seeking love and relationships, finding their own identity in or out of the LGBT community, and creating their own sense of political empowerment.
- One More River to Cross: Black & Gay In America
- Ever since his groundbreaking book, One More River to Cross: Black & Gay in America was published in 1996, Boykin has been the nation's leading commentator on the intersection of race and sexual orientation. His compelling journey unveils the myths and the reality of black homophobia, gay racism, and the influence of the church on today's LGBT community.
- Diversity without Division
- Diversity - whether in the corporate boardroom or college classroom - has been a consistent struggle. A leader in the faculty diversity movement at Harvard Law School along with then-classmate Barack Obama, Boykin pushed for better hiring policies to attract more women, women of color, African Americans, Latinos, and gays and lesbians. Since the 1990s, Boykin's humorous, personal and relevant presentations have shown dozens of companies, government agencies, and universities how working toward a common goal creates effective diversity strategies and ultimately stronger institutions.