Shaun King
Lewis Walker Institute 30th Anniversary Dinner
October 23, 2020 | 6 p.m. | Grand Ballroom, Bernhard Center, WMU
Our keynote speaker for the 30th anniversary dinner, proceeding shortly after the Great Lakes Symposium, will be none other than renowned journalist, humanitarian, and activist Shaun King. A passionate advocate for justice and families, King offers an articulate and historically grounded take on the most pressing problems of the day. He has now spoken in 35 states, on over 100 college campuses, in jails and prisons, and in corporate boardrooms—always calling for us to be better and do better.
As a magnetic element of the Black Lives Matter movement, Shaun King helps us see our present place in the larger current of American history. He’s adopted social media to rally and unite people of disparate backgrounds and has now become one of the most followed activists in the United States. The founder and CEO of The North Star— a new digital version of abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ iconic journal—and host of The Breakdown, King uses his platform to unearth the truth beyond local media and to organize in purposeful and directed ways. Moreover, he reminds us that we can take whatever we do best—whether we lobby, speak, litigate, organize, write, or more—and tilt that practice toward justice.
Formerly, King as worked as a columnist for The Intercept, the Writer-In-Residence at Harvard Law School’s Fair Punishment Project, and The Senior Justice Writer at the New York Daily News. In 1999, he became the youngest Student Government President elected at Morehouse College since Dr. Martin Luther King was a student there in 1947. Before he was ever known nationally, King was a high school history and civics teacher in Atlanta, then a traveling teacher and counselor at a dozen different jails, prisons, and youth detention centers in Georgia—speaking and teaching 5 times a day, 5 days a week, for years. King started and pastored a church in inner-city Atlanta and launched several award-winning social good campaigns that raised millions of dollars for causes around the world.
Tickets and parking
Tickets for dinner are $75 for the general public and $50 for students. Free Parking will be available. Details will be updated at a later date.
Shaun King Discusses Prison Conditions
World-renowned activist, humanitarian, and activist Shaun King addresses prison conditions that were recently reported in the state of Mississippi. He will speak at our inaugural Great Lakes Symposium. The focus will be Mass Incarceration with an emphasis on reentry opportunities into society.