The list of guest speakers slated to appear at the 2025 Michigan Black Summit in Benton Harbor keeps growing with some new additions announced Tuesday.
Neighbors Organizing Against Racism President Trenton Bowens tells us set to speak on Friday, February 8 are Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist. How did summit organizers line Gilchrist up?
“We extended an invitation and he accepted, and it just shows the commitment of our small organization, such as Neighbors Organizing Against Racism, the work that we’re doing and what we want to continue doing,” Bowens said. “It shows how vital the Black Summit is becoming in this area.”
Gilchrist will discuss Black leadership in Michigan. Bowens is also thrilled to welcome Benson back to talk about the Black vote.
“She spoke at a previous one and we were so excited. And with our theme, ‘The Black Dollar, Black Leadership, and the Black Vote,’ we could not not extend an invitation to the secretary of state.”
And Bowens says Michigan Economic Development Corporation CEO Quinten Messner will speak on Saturday, February 9. He’ll talk about the Black dollar.
The Michigan Black Summit will take place on the 8th and 9th at the Mendel Center’s Grand Upton Hall. Bowens says new this year will be a youth summit featuring workshops with the Workforce Development Institute at the Boys and Girls Club Teen Center.
