Keynote lecture for Black History Month set for Thursday

CANTON, Mo. — To wrap up Black History Month events on the Culver-Stockton College campus, Johnnie Campbell will deliver his keynote lecture, “Speaking Truth to Power,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27 in the Merillat Chapel and Recital Hall in the Robert W. Brown Performing Arts Center.

Campbell, a 2015 graduate of Western Illinois University, began his career in higher education as an admissions counselor at Iowa State University. After serving in that capacity for three years, he now is the leadership education and development advisor in the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement at Iowa State. He advises the Collegiate Panhellenic and National Panhellenic Councils on campus, in addition to advising auxiliary groups such as the Fraternal Values Society and Order of Omega Honors Society. Campbell also teaches undergraduate courses on academic learning and diversity.

A native of the south side of Chicago, Campbell was the first in his family to leave home, attend and graduate from a four-year college. He will be the first of his family to have completed a master’s degree in May.

Campbell approaches his work from the lens of social justice, equity and inclusion. He has completed a graduate certificate in social justice for education, and he grapples with social justice-focused courses throughout his graduate program. He has presented locally, regionally and nationally on research surrounding black males throughout his time at Iowa State.

Campbell aims to illuminate ways in which higher education can assume a greater responsibility in advocating for marginalized students, specifically black males. He emphasizes the need to empower students to actively develop resilience and persistence to succeed in the face of systemic, structural and societal challenges, particularly on historically and predominantly white campuses.

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