Campus MLK events postponed or canceled

Due to the severe weather advisory, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. events scheduled for January 21 and January 22 have been postponed or canceled. 

POSTPONED: LaTosha Brown

Update: Due to a severe weather advisory, LaTosha Brown's appearance at GVSU (scheduled for January 21) has been postponed. Brown will reschedule her campus presentation for February.

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LaTosha Brown is a visionary thought leader, institution builder, cultural activist, artist and connector. She is a nationally recognized “go-to” expert in Black voting rights and voter suppression, Black women’s empowerment, and philanthropy. 

She is the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, Black Voters Matter Fund and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute.

These initiatives are designed to boost Black voter registration and turnout, as well as increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. Her voice is the nexus between the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement and Black Lives Matter. 

Brown founded and serves as co-anchor of a regional network called the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium, a $100 million initiative to invest in organizations that serve Black women and girls. 

Brown is the 2020 Hauser leader at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, the 2020 leader in practice at Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Program, and a 2020-2021 American Democracy fellow at the Charles Warren Center at Harvard. 

She has worked in 23 countries, including Kenya, Guyana and Brazil. Her op-ed articles have been showcased in the New York Times, Politico and Essence. Her work has also been highlighted in several docuseries, including "What’s Eating America?" "American Swamp" and "Finding Justice."

POSTPONED: Dar Mayweather, '07 and '09

Dar Mayweather is a two-time GVSU graduate. 

Mayweather, '07 and '09, is the founder and CEO of Good Mayweather Consulting and a leadership studies faculty member at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

As a first-generation college student, Mayweather pushed beyond challenges to earn a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, master's degree in education and a doctorate in educational leadership.

As a speaker, Mayweather guides organizations and individuals past the fear of “doing inclusion perfectly” by fostering trust, empathy and meaningful human connections.

As a faculty member, he empowers college students to identify their unique talents and articulate those strengths to industry leaders, ensuring they secure jobs or graduate school placements before graduation. His coaching has led to a 100% success rate in helping students achieve these milestones. He credits his professional growth to the Social Justice Training Institute, the University of Michigan’s Program on Intergroup Relations, and Dr. Eric Thomas’s Game Changers Speaker Certification Program.

Joe Jones

The Hauenstein Center is excited to welcome Joe Jones who will share his leadership philosophy and defining experiences as a leader in West Michigan.

Jones will give a presentation on Friday, January 24, from 4-6 p.m. in the DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium, on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. RSVP for the event using this link.

Jones is the founder of the Hekima Group, a value-added consultancy located in Grand Rapids whose primary mission is to provide sound wisdom + strategy to a myriad of industries. Jones is a seasoned executive who is passionate, strategic-minded and a servant leader with over two decades of experience leading teams and managing diverse organizations and individuals while using an equity lens in the public and private sector.

Jones also served as a Grand Rapids City Commissioner representing the Second Ward. He was first appointed in February 2016 and later elected in August 2017. He serves as a pastor with Brown Hutcherson Ministries in Grand Rapids. Jones serves on many corporate and civic boards, including Mercantile Bank of Michigan, Axios Incorporated, Spectrum Health’s Grand Rapids Community Board, Economic Club of Grand Rapids, and Experience Grand Rapids.