2019 Martin Luther King Jr Celebration with Keynote Speakers Dr. Tommie Smith and Jemele Hill
Venue: Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
Date: Thursday, January 31, 2019
Time: 7:00 - 8:00 PM
Event Types: Speaking Engagements
Cost: Free
Description:
Virginia Tech Student Affairs and the Virginia Tech Cultural and Community Centers present the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr Celebration with Keynote Speakers Dr. Tommie Smith and Jemele Hill on Thursday, January 31, 2019 at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech.

Dr. Tommie C. Smith, an Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1968 Games and Emmy Award winning sports journalist Jemele Hill will offer keynote presentations as part of Virginia Tech's 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

Dr. Tommie Smith's historic achievements make him a nationally and internationally distinguished figure in African American history. He is the only man in the history of track and field to hold 11 world records simultaneously.

Tommie Smith received his Bachelor of Arts degree from San Jose State University in social science with double minors in military science and physical education. As a college student, Tommie amazingly tied or broke a total of 13 world records in track. Realizing the importance of education, Tommie went on to obtain a master’s degree in sociology from Goddard College.

During the historical 19th Olympiad in Mexico City in the summer of 1968, he broke the world and Olympic record with a time of 19.83 seconds and became the 200-meter Olympic champion. As the “Star Spangled Banner” played, Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood on the victory podium, draped with their Olympic medals, each raising a clinched fist covered in a black leather glove in a historic stand for black power, liberation and solidarity. This courageous, unexpected worldwide event propelled Tommie Smith into the spotlight as a human rights spokesman, activist, and symbol of African American pride. Cheered by some, jeered by others, and ignored by many more, Tommie Smith made a commitment to dedicate his life to champion the cause of oppressed people. The story of the “silent gesture” is captured for all time in the 1999 HBO TV documentary: "Fists of Freedom".

Jemele Hill is an Emmy Award Winning journalist and co-founder of Lodge Freeway Media and a staff writer at The Atlantic. Hill joined The Undefeated in January 2018 and writes, conducts newsmaker interviews, offers commentary, and creates a variety of content for The Undefeated’s digital, television, and audio platforms.

Prior to joining The Undefeated, Hill co-anchored SportsCenter for a year with Michael Smith. SC6 with Michael & Jemele debuted in February 2017 as a more personality driven approach to the traditional 6 pm SportsCenter. Focusing on sports, music, movies, and more, SC6 was born from Hill and Smith’s popular His & Hers podcast and weekday television show, which debuted on ESPN2 in 2014. Before joining ESPN, Hill was a sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 2005-2006 – the lone African-American female sports columnist in the country.

To view the event flyer, visit: https://i.imgur.com/uhlDGd3.jpg.

For more information, visit: https://ccc.vt.edu/awareness/mlk.html.