Bruce A. Jacobs will speak at LHU's annual Martin Luther King celebration.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Lock Haven University’s 2011 celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will feature guest speaker Bruce A. Jacobs, a nationally-known author, speaker and advocate for social change. The annual MLK Celebration will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 1:30 in Price Performance Center on the LHU campus. The public is invited to attend this free event.

“We are excited to welcome Mr. Jacobs to LHU as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King,” said Albert W. Jones, associate director of human resources and assistant to the president for social equity. “This event supports the diversity initiatives at LHU and brings the campus and local community together in a positive way. Mr. Jacobs is an ideal individual this year to speak about the positive impact that diversity and cultural awareness has in the learning and living environment at LHU. “

Bruce Jacobs is the rare social change advocate who both lays out the big issues of racial politics and equips us to handle them in everyday life. With his dynamic presence, his empathy with audiences, and the plain-spoken clarity of his book "Race Manners," Bruce is able to encourage people of good will to challenge bigotry and to work for our common benefit.

Few speakers connect with an audience as intimately as Bruce does. He urges people to question our media, to turn off today's "rage talk" shows, and to dare to have real conversations with friends, neighbors, and co-workers. In his speaking and in his writing, Bruce lays out a clear path for citizens to reclaim true discourse.

Jacobs is a featured participant in “Race and Reconciliation in America,” a series of dialogues convened by former U.S. Senator William Cohen and racial justice advocate Janet Langhart Cohen. Owens Corning Corporation CEO Dave Brown said of Bruce, "Many of your comments stick with me daily. You made a difference." Toi Y. Carter, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources at Loyola College, said, "Bringing Mr. Jacobs to campus was one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. We were contemplating inviting him back even before his presentation was over. He and his book are catalysts for positive change." Bruce has also been praised by national diversity managers at Best Buy Co. as well as by nonprofits, community organizers, educators, and clergy. "Race Manners" was even read by the entire city of Toledo, Ohio, in an initiative led by the mayor.

Jacobs, a Harvard graduate, has been on NPR, C-SPAN, Pacifica, and radio and television shows nationwide. He has spoken at scores of colleges, organizations, places of worship, and community gatherings from New York to Arizona to California.

"Race Manners" has been called “Enlightening and balanced...A 'Must-read’” by Los Angeles Times columnist Norine Dresser, and "A frank, intelligent guide" by Publishers Weekly. The book encourages and equips people to honestly confront racial assumptions, misunderstandings and hostilities in everyday life, and it breaks down the workings of racial prejudice in ways we can all understand.

Albert Jones is looking forward to a positive and stimulating presentation by Mr. Jacobs. He added, “We hope that the public will join the LHU community in welcoming Mr. Jacobs and celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.”

For further information, contact Albert Jones at www.lhup.edu/equity or 570-484-2838.

LHU classes will operate on a compressed schedule on January 26.