2015 2015: POSTPONED: Acclaimed writer and humanitarian Kevin Powell to keynote Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast

President of BK Nation to offer keynote address at 14th annual MLK Breakfast February 9

Due to the weather-related closing of UMass Dartmouth on Monday and resulting logistical challenges, the 14th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast at the university has been postponed. The university looks forward to hosting the breakfast featuring BK Nation President Kevin Powell at a later date. Please contact the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at 508-999-9293 if there are any questions. 

 Writer, humanitarian, and BK Nation President Kevin Powell will offer the keynote address at UMass Dartmouth’s 14^th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, at 8:30 a.m., at the University’s Woodland Commons. Tickets for the Breakfast are $25 for the public, UMass Dartmouth faculty and staff. Admission is free for students. Proceeds from the breakfast will go toward funding student-centered diversity initiatives at UMass Dartmouth.

‌Kevin Powell is one of the most acclaimed political, cultural, literary and hip-hop voices in America today. A native of Jersey City, raised by a single mother in extreme poverty, he has gone on to be the author of 12 books, including his newest title, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood. The book is a critically acclaimed and brutally honest memoir about his life, including his youth. His writings have also appeared inEsquire, ‌Ebony, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The Guardian,CNN.com, ESPN.com and Vibe Magazine. He worked at Vibe Magazine for many years as a senior writer, interviewing such diverse public figures as Tupac Shakur and General Colin Powell.

As an activist, Kevin Powell is the president and co-founder of BK Nation, a new national, progressive, multicultural organization focused on  education, civic engagement, leadership training, health and wellness, social media, arts and culture, and job and small business creation.

As a humanitarian, his work includes local, national and international initiatives to end violence against women and girls. He has engaged in philanthropic and relief work related to Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, and Superstorm Sandy in New York. He has also organized an annual holiday party and clothing drive for the homeless every December since 9/11.

For questions, please contact the UMass Dartmouth Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at 508.999.8008.