Activist Shaka Senghor Highlights MLK Jr. Celebration
ALBANY, N.Y. (January 23, 2017) – Shaka Senghor, a leading voice for criminal justice reform, has been selected as the keynote speaker for the University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
The event, free and open to the public, will be held in the Campus Center Ballroom at 7 p.m. Sengor will answer questions and sign his new memoir, Writing my Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison, following the program.
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Shaka Senghor (pictured above) is a leading voice for criminal justice reform.
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About Senghor:
Shaka Senghor is a writer, mentor and motivational speaker who inspires young adults at high school and universities across the nation with his story of redemption.
Senghor was sent to prison for second-degree murder in 1991. While serving a 19-year sentence, he discovered a love for reading and writing. He has written six books, including Writing My Wrongs, a memoir about his life behind bars.
Today, Senghor works with #cut50, a national bipartisan initiative to reduce the prison population in half by 2025. He’s the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2015 Manchester University Innovator of the Year Award and the 2012 Black Male Engagement (BMe) Leadership Award. He’s also co-founder of #BeyondPrisons and a 2014 TED Prize finalist.
"Mr. Senghor's story provides us with insight into the challenges faced by many young African American men in urban communities and American prisons,” said Frankie Bailey, UAlbany criminal justice professor and chairperson of the event committee. “His emergence as a leader in the criminal justice reform movement illustrates the capacity of those same men for redemption and growth. His message is about becoming a force for positive change."
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration:
Senghor’s talk is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Student Association and University Auxiliary Services in collaboration with the New York State Writers Institute.
Attendees are invited to a reception in the Patroon Room from 5:30-6:45 p.m. before the program begins.
No registration is required for the reception, main event or book signing.
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