The annual convocation celebrates the life and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by presenting speakers who discuss the civil rights issues of equality, freedom, justice, and opportunity. The convocation also seeks to build partnerships and develop dialogue within the campus community and with the local communities served by the university.

Please join us

Benjamin Jealous, Civil and human rights leader, former NAACP president, venture capitalist, and author.

• Speaker: Benjamin Jealous
  Civil and human rights leader, former NAACP president, venture capitalist, and author
• Date: 7 p.m., Thursday, February 9, 2017
• Location: Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
• The event is free and open to the public.

The 2017 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation will feature Benjamin Jealous, Civil and human rights leader, former NAACP president, venture capitalist, and author.

Benjamin Todd Jealous is the former president and CEO of the NAACP. He recently joined the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kapor Capital, where he plans to continue his goal of growing opportunities for minorities in the tech economy.

A Rhodes Scholar, Jealous was named by both Fortune and TIME magazines to their “Top 40 under 40” lists, and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

The youngest president in NAACP history, he began his career at age 18 opening mail at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.  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. 

Under his leadership, the NAACP grew to be the largest civil rights organization online and on mobile, and became the largest community-based nonpartisan voter registration operation in the country. 

Prior to leading the NAACP, he spent 15 years as a journalist and community organizer. 

Jealous currently teaches graduate courses on civil rights, social entrepreneurship, and leadership at Princeton University and is also a regular commentator on MSNBC.

Tony Hill Memorial Award

Members of the Santa Cruz and UCSC community are invited to nominate outstanding individuals for the Tony Hill Memorial Award. The recipient will be recognized at the convocation.

The deadline for the Tony Hill award nomination is Monday, January 8, 2018.

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