ERIE, Pa. — As former president and CEO of the NAACP and the youngest president in the organization’s history, few individuals are more qualified to discuss race in America than Benjamin Jealous.
On Monday, Feb. 15, that will be Jealous' topic of discussion when he visits Penn State Behrend as part of the college’s Speaker Series. His presentation, “The Forgotten Origins and Consequences of Race in America,” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the McGarvey Commons of the campus' Reed Union Building and is free and open to the public.
Under Jealous’ leadership, the NAACP grew to be the largest civil rights organization online and on mobile platforms, and became the largest community-based nonpartisan voter registration operation in the country. During his tenure, he helped get environmentalist organizations to join the fight to protect voting rights and convinced several well-known conservatives to join the NAACP.
Jealous, a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford University and a Rhodes Scholar, has been named to both Forbes’ and TIME’s “Top 40 under 40” lists. Prior to leading the NAACP, he spent 15 years as a journalist and community organizer. While at Mississippi's Jackson Advocate newspaper, he helped expose corruption at a state penitentiary and prove the innocence of a black farmer framed for arson.
His appearance at Penn State Behrend is made possible by the campus' student activity fee, the Division of Student Affairs and the Harriet Behrend Ninow Memorial Lecture Series Fund. For additional information, contact the Office of Student Activities at 814-898-6171.