Activist, Writer Michaela Angela Davis to Deliver MLK Celebration Keynote

Michaela Angela Davis, writer, editorial director, activist, and regular CNN contributor, will deliver the keynote address at Buffalo State’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on February 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Admission is free.

Davis has a storied career that includes stints as a fashion director and editor of magazines such as Essence, Vibe, and Honey. She recently served as cable station BET’s editorial brand manager and editorial lead of the award-winning rebrand of Centric—the first network designed for black women.

Davis, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, also is the creator of MAD FREE: Liberating Conversations About Image, Beauty, and Power. Her activism began in 2005 when she co-created with Essence magazine the Take Back the Music Campaign, a national conversation about misogyny and misrepresentation of women of color in hip-hop music videos.

The NAACP, New York City, and others have lauded Davis for her work expanding the perceptions of women of color in mainstream media. She has led conversations on gender and race on several university campuses and major television networks.

“We are honored to have a woman of Ms. Davis’s caliber delivering a talk during a celebration of one of the top civil rights leaders,” said Jason Parker, diversity program coordinator in the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, which is sponsoring the MLK celebration in collaboration with the Alumni Affairs Office, Burchfield Penney, Faculty-Student Association, Grant Allocation Committee, United Students Government, and the Buffalo Challenger Community News.

“We believe her message will resonate with students as well as members of the community.”

For more information, call (716) 878-6210 or visit the Burchfield Penney website.