The University’s McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement will host a guest lecture from a Mississippian whose story embodies the group’s mission of fighting poverty through education in the state.
Author Clifton Taulbert will speak for the UM community 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Robert C. Khayat Law School (Courtesy: Facebook.com)
Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Clifton Taulbert will be speaking at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Robert C. Khayat Law School in Weems Auditorium.
The McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship are sponsoring Taulbert’s lecture on his latest book, “The Invitation.”
Born in the Mississippi Delta, Taulbert had few opportunities and encountered many barriers, including racial segregation, on the way to success. Today, he is now president and CEO of two companies— the Freemount Corporation, a consulting company focused on human capital development, and Roots Java Coffee, an African American-owned national coffee brand that imports coffee from Africa.
“The Invitation” tells the story of Taulbert’s journey and the barriers he crossed to become the successful man he is today. This book confronts the difficult memories of slavery and segregation from his past and how they relate to his present situation and who he is becoming.
According to Taulbert, his book and lecture will encourage the audience to “never underestimate the power of [their] presence in the lives of others.”
Junior journalism major Leah Gibson, an innovation scholar at the McLean Institute, said students can learn a lot from listening to Taulbert speak. Cohorts of 10 scholars each year are selected to work with the institute’s Catalyzing Entrepreneurship and Economic Development initiative to build real-world relationships with Mississippi communities and their businesses.
“Clifton Taulbert has been a great motivation for the Innovation Scholars of the McLean Institute,” Gibson said. “His writing brings so much insight about life lessons and allows you to relate to him as a kid from Mississippi or just someone who wants to make the best out where they are in life.”
J.R. Love is the project manager for the Catalyzing Entrepreneurship and Economic Development program at the McLean Institute.
“We are pleased and honored to have Mr. Taulbert speak,” Love said. “We invite everyone in the UM community to join us in welcoming this inspirational and thought-provoking speaker.”
