News 2016: Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast rescheduled for March 30

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

Writer, humanitarian, and BK Nation President Kevin Powell will offer the keynote address at UMass Dartmouth’s 14th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on March 30, 2016, at 8:30 a.m., at the University’s Claire T. Carney Library Living Room. 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.

The Breakfast was postponed from its original date of February 9, due to a weather-related closing of UMass Dartmouth resulting in logistical challenges, 

‌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 in Esquire, ‌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.