American Program Bureau is proud to offer a roster of dynamic speakers who present a fresh dialogue on issues of race, sexuality, disabilities, and diverse communities. These professional speakers not only share their unique cultural experiences, but also provide insight on how diverse communities can achieve change and acceptance. Our roster includes African American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Bi-Racial, Disabled, and Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender (GLBT) speakers.
Susan L. Taylor
As editorial director of Essence, Taylor was the driving force behind one of the most celebrated black-owned business success stories in recent times. Her firm belief in personal empowerment and tapping into the power within motivates and inspired her employees to lead Essence to become a successful global mul ...
Michael Eric Dyson
Named by Essence magazine as one of the 50 most inspiring African Americans, Dyson is one of the nation's most renowned public intellectuals, revitalizing the role with the fervor of an ordained Baptist minister. Called "a street fighter in a suit and tie," he takes on the toughest and most controversial issues of th ...
Richard Carmona
As the 17th Surgeon General, Dr. Carmona developed comprehensive knowledge of the environmental influences on healthy living today. He offers a close look at the epidemic of asthma in young children as well as other issues directly related to the state of our environment and how we can work towards not only a healthy body, ...
Toni Morrison
One of the most prominent authors in world literature, the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning Morrison has authored such celebrated books as The Bluest Eye, Beloved, and Song of Solomon. A National Book Critics Award recipient, her writings are notable for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly de ...
Augusten Burroughs
An acclaimed author, he had a very unusual childhood – a childhood that America has come to know in his best-selling memoir Running with Scissors that spent more than four years on The New York Times bestseller list, spawned an Oscar nominated film starring Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin and Gwyneth Paltrow, a ...
Juan Williams
Prize-winning columnist and editorial writer for The Washington Post, Juan Williams is also NPR’s Senior Correspondent and a keynote speaker on issues including diversity, ethics, leadership, media and national issues. There are few voices as clear and intelligent on the power of diversity within today's business, ...
Julian Bond
Beginning with his pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, Julian Bond has always been on the cutting edge of social change and leadership. Legendary as the first black US vice presidential nominee and former Chairman of the NAACP, Bond continues to deliver a powerful message of equality, freedom, and justice with a rene ...
Ted Childs
As IBM's Vice President of Global Workforce Diversity, Childs oversaw IBM's model workforce diversity programs and policies. Called "perhaps the most effective diversity executive on the planet," by Hewitt Magazine, he helps companies, organizations, and communities understand the importance of diversity education to ...
Maria Hinojosa
Senior Correspondent for PBS news program NOW and Managing Editor of the radio program, "Latino USA," Hinojosa hosts a new PBS series, One-on-One, interviewing some of America's foremost Latino leaders. A prominent voice in the Hispanic community, she brings her wit, warmth, and professional wisdom to the dialogue a ...
Michael Patrick MacDonald
Author of the incendiary New York Times bestselling memoir All Souls: A Family Story from Southie, and the companion bestseller Easter Rising: A Memoir of Roots and Rebellion, MacDonald shares his remarkable story of survival and redemption while examining the tangled relationship between poverty and c ...
Alvin Poussaint
A veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Poussaint is a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who is renowned as an expert and educated crusader for the African American family within our multicultural society. He has worked closely with Bill Cosby, serving as an advisor on The Cosby Show, and has par ...
Ice-T
Hip-hop pioneer currently starring on Law and Order: SVU, Ice-T has risen up from the harsh realities of growing up disadvantaged to become a successful entertainer and entrepreneur. Serving as a sobering, yet inspirational, role model, he shares a powerful message with youth about overcoming adversity through educa ...
Mariane Pearl
Pearl is a unique and versatile award-winning journalist who has written A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl, a gripping and profound narrative of her experience and the pursuit of those who captured and killed her husband, Daniel Pearl, the South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Stree ...
Paul Rusesabagina
Considered the "Rwandan Schindler," Rusesabagina saved over 1,200 lives during the Rwandan Genocide. His story is chronicled in both his book, An Ordinary Man, and the Oscar-nominated film, Hotel Rwanda, a riveting account of a man finding strength within himself to save others in the midst of his country's darkest ...
Tess Gerritsen
Internationally best-selling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Gerritsen went on to attend medical school and become a physician. While on maternity leave, she began to write fiction. Eight suspense novels later, she has never looked back.
Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Hunter-Gault made civil rights history as the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Georgia. Now, as one of television's premier journalists, she challenges convention with her insights. A special correspondent for NPR based in South Africa, she has written New News Out of Africa, which pr ...
Herman Boone
When he became head football coach at T.C. Williams High School, Boone faced the daunting challenge of uniting a racially divided team, and through his hard work and dedication, he led the Titans to a championship title. Portrayed by Denzel Washington in the highly acclaimed film, Remember the Titans, Boone delivers ...
Luis Alberto Urrea
An award-winning poet and essayist, Urrea authored the epic novel The Hummingbird’s Daughter, as well as the The Devil’s Highway, a best-selling nonfiction account of Mexican immigrants crossing over the US border. His latest book, Into the Beautiful North, is lauded for having Urrea’s characteri ...
Terry McMillan
Since McMillan's breakout novel Waiting to Exhale surged onto The New York Times bestseller list, critics and readers alike have been captivated by her irreverent, often-hilarious take on the issues faced by contemporary African American women. With several of her bestsellers, including Waiting to Exhale, ...
Mary Frances Berry
Former Chairperson of the US Civil Rights Commission, law professor, and esteemed civil rights historian, Berry continually defends the rights of all people with her actions and dedication to equality. From fair housing to equal opportunity to voter's rights, she has been a strong advocate for the disempowered and continue ...
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend