Former NAACP president Benjamin Jealous to offer keynote address Monday, Jan. 16 at Eastern Michigan University’s 31st annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration

Events start Thursday for this year's EMU celebration, entitled 'Courageous Conversations: Writings On The Wall'

Former NAACP president Benjamin Jealous to offer keynote address Monday, Jan. 16 at Eastern Michigan University’s 31st annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration

YPSILANTI – Benjamin Todd Jealous, a nationally known venture capitalist, civic leader and former President and CEO of the National NAACP, will serve as the keynote speaker for Eastern Michigan University’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, scheduled on January 16, 2017.

Jealous will speak during the President’s MLK luncheon, to be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom at 900 Oakwood St. Ypsilanti, Mich. He will also offer a talk in the Student Center Auditorium from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Celebration draws many to EMU campus

Eastern’s MLK celebration, in its 31st year, has established a strong tradition of discourse, learning opportunities, creative expression and community building in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

This year’s theme is “Courageous Conversations: Writings On The Wall.” The celebration starts Thursday, Jan. 12, with a commemorative march at 3:30 p.m. Other events include a day of service, on Friday, Jan. 13; and a community conversation on race and public safety, on Sunday, Jan. 15. See the MLK 2017 website for a full schedule of events.

The celebration, one of the most successful and well-known MLK recognitions in the state of Michigan, annually draws hundreds of people to campus, including top regional government and community leaders. Recent speakers have included social activist and comedian Dick Gregory, educator Geoffrey Canada, anti-racist writer Tim Wise and voting rights advocate Barbara R. Arnwine.

Youngest leader in the history of the NAACP

Benjamin Jealous
Among his many key roles in society, Benjamin Jealous was also an outstanding investigative journalist.

Among his many key roles in society, Benjamin Jealous was also an outstanding investigative journalist.

Jealous is a partner in the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kapor Capital, where he invests in high-growth companies that have a positive social impact. He has been a leader of successful state and local movements to ban the death penalty, outlaw racial profiling, defend voting rights, secure marriage equality, and end mass incarceration.

He has been a leader of successful state and local movements to ban the death penalty, outlaw racial profiling, defend voting rights, secure marriage equality, and end mass incarceration.

Jealous, 43, who served as President of the NAACP for four years, from 2008 to 2012, is the youngest leader in the history of the NAACP. He began his career at age 18, opening mail at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Under his leadership, the NAACP grew to be the largest civil rights organization and the largest community-based nonpartisan voter registration operation in the country.

His tenure also included bringing environmentalist organizations into the fight to protect voting rights, and convincing well-known conservatives to join the NAACP.

A distinct and powerful voice

“As Eastern Michigan University prepares to commemorate the 31st anniversary of this auspicious national celebration, we do so with a keen awareness of the conversations and concerns that have emerged this past year throughout our country,” said Dar Mayweather, coordinator of the EMU Coordinator of the Center for Multicultural Affairs and a chair of the 2017 MLK Planning Committee. “We are gratified and excited to have Benjamin Jealous as our 2017 MLK keynote speaker, as he has been a leading voice on the issues of injustice in the United States.

“Benjamin offers a distinct and powerful voice as we seek to address issues in a manner that is both relevant and timely to our students, campus and local community. As we have seen so vividly this year, the movement for civil rights and social justice and the need for empathy and understanding are paramount for our communities to move toward supporting each other in the battle against inequity. We hope that this year’s events and discussions will continue to encourage and galvanize each of us to take action for positive change.”

An outstanding investigative journalist

Prior to leading the NAACP, Jealous spent 15 years as a journalist and community organizer. While at Mississippi's Jackson Advocate newspaper, his investigations were credited with exposing corruption at a state penitentiary and proving the innocence of a black farmer framed for arson.

While at Amnesty International, he led successful efforts to outlaw prison rape, expose the increasing trend of children being sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, and draw attention to expanded racial profiling in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Jealous holds a B.A. in political science from Columbia University and a master's degree in comparative social research from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Jealous' new book, “Reach: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading, and Succeeding,” features personal essays from prominent figures in the black community.

Parents offered strong influences

Jealous was born in Pacific Grove, California and grew up on the Monterey Peninsula. As a child, he spent his summers in the Ashburton neighborhood of Baltimore with his grandparents. His mother, Ann Todd Jealous, who is black, is a retired psychotherapist from Baltimore who participated in Western High School's desegregation. She is also the author, with Caroline Haskell, of “Combined Destinies: Whites Sharing Grief about Racism,” released in April 2013.

His father, Fred Jealous, who is white and from New England, founded the Breakthrough Men's Community and participated in Baltimore sit-ins to desegregate lunch counters. As an interracial couple, it was illegal for them to get married in Maryland until 1967 due to anti-miscegenation laws; therefore, they had to marry in Washington DC before returning to Baltimore.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest university in Michigan. It currently serves 22,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.

January 09, 2017

Written by:
Geoff Larcom

Media Contact:
Geoff Larcom
glarcom@emich.edu
734-487-4400