Celebrate the legacy, courage and vision of Black leaders during February and all year long with these inspiring Black History Month speakers.
Host one of these renowned thought leaders, Civil Rights activists, influencers and C-Suite changemakers to amplify Black voices that empower organizations to engage in meaningful conversations and create a more inclusive and understanding community.
Halim Flowers
<p>Halim Flowers shares his transformational journey while incarcerated for 22 years, helping audiences overcome their obstacles and find their purpose. </p><p>In 1997, Halim Flowers was arrested at the age of 16 and given two life sentences. His experiences were filmed in the Emmy award-winning documentary <em>Thug Life In DC</em>. During his incarceration, Halim discovered a love for literature and the arts, and began writing, painting, and freestyle-rapping.
Daryl Davis
<p>Daryl Davis is committed to helping people ignite positive change—using conversation to build bridges.</p><p>His jaw-dropping experiences speak for themselves. For nearly 40 years, he’s engaged leaders of the KKK and White supremacist groups face to face to find the answer to a question: “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” </p><p>That question stemmed from his first encounter with racism at age ten when he was pelted with rocks, bottles, and soda cans by a handful of White spectators while marching in a parade.
Autumn Rose Williams
<p>Autumn Rose *Miskweminanocsqua (Raspberry Star Woman)* Williams was born and raised on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, New York. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications and a Minor in Business.
Fredrika Newton
<p>Fredrika Newton, the daughter of activists and former member of the Black Panther Party, says she learned how to march before she learned how to walk. Activism has always been in her blood, but no one was more surprised than her the day that Black Panther Party co-founder, Huey P. Newton, showed up at her parents’ home for lunch.</p><p>Her mother, a Jewish housing activist and real estate agent for the Party, invited Huey over when Fredrika was home from college.
Yamiche Alcindor
<p>In today’s ever-changing political landscape, Yamiche Alcindor has become a go-to voice in analyzing the most critical issues of our time for Democrats and Republicans alike.</p><p>Since early 2022, she has been the Washington correspondent for NBC News covering the Biden administration, the impact of federal policies on communities and issues at the intersection of race, culture and politics.
Judge Victoria Pratt
<p>The Black and Latina daughter of a working-class family, Victoria Pratt learned to treat everyone with dignity, no matter their background. When she became Newark Municipal Court’s chief judge, she knew well the inequities that poor, mentally ill, Black, and brown people faced in the criminal justice system.</p><p>Judge Victoria has gained national and international acclaim for her commitment to reform the criminal justice system.
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson
<p>Named one of the 150 most powerful African Americans by <i>Ebony</i> magazine, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, an American Book Award recipient and two-time NAACP Image Award winner, “is reshaping what it means to be a public intellectual by becoming the most visible black academic of his time.” </p><p>Dr.
Michelle Alexander
Michelle Alexander’s acclaimed best-seller, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness released a special 10th anniversary edition in January 2020.
Jamelle Bouie
Jamelle Bouie, a columnist for the New York Times and former political analyst for CBS News, covers U.S. politics, public policy, race, and elections—including the unprecedented upcoming 2024 U.S. elections.
Jamelle’s political instincts provide audiences with unique insight on the past, present, and future of our national politics, policy, and the state of race relations. As he did while writing for Slate and the Daily Beast, Jamelle shares eye-opening perspectives on issues concerning the issues at play in America today.
Michele Norris
<p>An award-winning journalist and one of the most recognized voices in radio, Michele Norris engages audiences in candid discussion about race, culture and communication in America.</p><p>From the radio airwaves of NPR and primetime television to leading news publications such as T<em>he Washington Post</em>, and author of<em> Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race</em> (January 2024), Norris is one of the most trusted voices in American journalism.