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Award-winning investigative journalist, social activist to speak at APSU

From his celebrated conversations with marquee world figures in politics, business and entertainment, his grassroots work to inspire the next generation of leaders, his BET specials and weekly commentaries on the nationally syndicated “Tom Joyner Morning Show,” to his work as CEO of Jeff’s Nation LLC, Jeff Johnson has established himself as an authentic voice for change and a trailblazing social entrepreneur.

From his celebrated conversations with marquee world figures in politics, business and entertainment, his grassroots work to inspire the next generation of leaders, his BET specials and weekly commentaries on the nationally syndicated “Tom Joyner Morning Show,” to his work as CEO of Jeff’s Nation LLC, Jeff Johnson has established himself as an authentic voice for change and a trailblazing social entrepreneur.

Johnson, a Washington, D.C.-based, award-winning investigative journalist, social activist and political commentator, will speak at Austin Peay State University at 6 p.m., Tuesday Feb. 28 in Clement Auditorium. His topic will be “Who will lead the next social movement?”  Following his talk, he will sign books and meet and greet attendees in the African American Cultural Center.

The only U.S. reporter to receive an exclusive post-inauguration interview with Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state and Liberia’s first elected female president, Johnson is also one of two news correspondents to receive an exclusive interview with Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who has not granted interviews with U.S. media outlets for 13 years.

Johnson is one of 30 young leaders from Europe and North America selected by the British Council to be a part of its Transatlantic 2020 team. This collective has inaugurated a new international dialogue to reinvigorate traditional alliances and mend transatlantic rifts.

In 2008, Johnson received the NABJ Salute to Excellence Award for BET’s “Life & Death in Darfur, Jeff Johnson Reports” series. He regularly contributes commentary and analysis about issues related to race, politics, popular culture and socio-economics for news broadcasts and publications, such as MSNBC’s “Dayside and Hardball with Chris Matthews,” CNN’s “Headline News,” CNN’s “International, Larry King Live,” the FOX News Channel, Huffington Post, CNN.com, theRoot.com, EbonyJet.com, and Upscale magazine.

As a MSNBC contributor and White House correspondent for The Grio, an African-American website owned by NBC, Johnson covers important issues facing the nation. He has spent the last decade merging the worlds of politics and popular culture, including formerly serving as senior advisor for Media and Youth Outreach for People for the American Way, national director of the Youth & College division of the NAACP and as vice president of the Russell Simmons Hip Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN).

On Sept. 15, 2009, Jeff Johnson released his first book, “Everything I’m Not Made Me Everything I Am: Discovering Your Personal Best” (SmileyBooks).

For more information about Johnson’s speaking event, call the APSU African American Cultural Center at 931-221-7120.