Speakers announced for King Commemoration Week

The mother of Trayvon Martin will give a presentation during Grand Valley’s 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King Commemoration Week, bringing her message of hope in today's increasingly violent society.

Sybrina Fulton will speak at Grand Valley’s Fieldhouse Arena on January 19, the official King holiday. She will also speak that evening at Grand Rapids Community College, and on January 20 at Davenport University.

A second keynote speaker, Marc Lamont Hill, CNN contributor, author and activist, will continue Grand Valley’s commemoration week activities with a presentation at the Kirkhof Center on January 21.

Since the 2012 shooting death of her son, a 17-year-old high school student, Fulton has dedicated her life to transforming family tragedy into social change. Fulton and Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, established the Trayvon Martin Foundation, to raise awareness of how violent crime impacts families of victims, and to support and advocate for those families.

Fulton inspires audiences to educate their children about civil rights, and she has added her voice to others who speak out against violence toward children and the need for safer communities. Fulton earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Florida Memorial University and worked for the Miami-Dade County Housing Development Agency for more than two decades.

Hill is a journalist who is frequently tapped by top news organizations for his views on everything from sexuality to politics to religion. He is a regular commentator for CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel. Hill also writes a column for the Philadelphia Daily News.

Hill serves as associate professor of education at Columbia University. He is a founding board member of My5th, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating young people about their legal rights; Hill also works with the ACLU Drug Reform Project. He earned a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

He is the author of “Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom Life: Hip-Hop Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity” and “The Classroom and the Cell: Conversations on Black Life in America,” in addition to editing several other books.

Grand Valley’s commemoration of King’s life and legacy will run January 19-24. Visit the website at www.gvsu.edu/mlk for event updates.