Isabel Wilkerson, author of The New York Times bestseller "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration," will give the keynote speech for the Diversify 2017 luncheon on Friday, June 23, at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Isabel Wilkerson
The luncheon, sponsored by EPB and the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, is designed to highlight diversity in business and the workforce in Chattanooga.
"The Warmth of Other Suns," the basis of Wilkerson's Diversify presentation, explores the impact of decades of migration in which African-American citizens left the South for Northern and Western cities, reshaping American culture and politics and launching the racial challenges our country faces today.
Wilkerson spent 15 years interviewing more than 1,200 people and unearthing archival works to complete "The Warmth of Other Suns." The book has garnered numerous accolades including a spot on The New York Times Magazine list of the All-Time Best Books of Nonfiction and the NAACP Image Award for Best Literary Debut.
Wilkerson received a Pulitzer Prize for her work as Chicago Bureau Chief of The New York Times in 1994. She is the first African-American female journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize and the first African-American to be honored for individual reporting. She has appeared on "60 Minutes," NBC's Nightly News, C-SPAN and more, and has taught narrative nonfiction at Princeton University, Emory University and Boston University.
A book-signing session with Wilkerson will follow the Diversify luncheon. For more about her work, visit prhspeakers.com.
From shopping to business networking to local music and food, the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce DIVERSIFY week June 19-23 offers themed daily pop-up markets and concludes with the Chamber's annual Diversify Luncheon.