Bankole Thompson, Nationally Acclaimed Journalist, Will Keynote WCCCD Phi Theta Kappa Spring Induction Ceremony on May 2

Bankole Thompson, a standard-bearer for economic justice will deliver the keynote address at Wayne County Community College District's Phi Theta Kappa Induction

DETROIT, MI, UNITED STATES, April 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Bankole Thompson, the nationally acclaimed journalist and standard-bearer for economic justice issues, whose work sits at the intersection of journalism, history, and social change as a truth-teller, a historian of the present, and a force for justice and equality in our time, will deliver the keynote address at the 2025 Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society Spring Induction Ceremony at Wayne County Community College District on Friday, May 2. The ceremony beginning at 6pm will be at the Heinz C. Prechter Educational and Performing Arts Center located at the WCCCD Downriver Campus, 21000 Northline Road, Taylor, MI, 48180.

Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society is the oldest and largest international honor society for community colleges and its mission has been to "Recognize academic achievement of college students and to provide opportunities for them to grow as scholars and leaders.”

"On behalf of the Wayne County Community College District’s Board of Trustees, Chancellor Dr. Curtis L. Ivery, and the Division of Student Services, we are delighted that you have agreed to be the Spring 2025 keynote speaker for the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society Induction Ceremony," said Dr. Brian Singleton, Vice Chancellor for Student Services and President of the Curtis L. Ivery Downtown Campus. "Membership is an honor and by invitation only based on maintaining a cumulative 3.5 GPA throughout their academic career. "

Singleton added, "We, at Wayne County Community College District, are very proud of our students and their accomplishments. This ceremony highlights the WCCCD PTK Chapter’s achievements throughout the academic year and celebrates students’ hard work in being the crème de la crème of Wayne County Community College District. We look forward to having you speak at the Spring PTK Induction Ceremony and consider it an honor."

More than 130 students will be inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society at WCCCD during the ceremony.

"WCCCD is a premier urban educational institution in the nation. Under Dr. Ivery's leadership, the college has been one of the most successful and strategic anchors for urban education. I'm looking forward to sharing some wisdom with the students who are going to be the drivers of the future," Thompson said. "There is no better time to remind these brilliant and committed students about their unique roles and responsibilities in shaping a more equitable and prosperous future where no one is left behind than now. The mandate of history is weighing on this moment and these students have exceptionally demonstrated both hard work and leadership to consistently strive for excellence and be a force for good."

Thompson is the founder and dean of the independent and national anti-poverty think tank, The PuLSE Institute, which was established several years ago based on his influential work on race, democracy and poverty.

He is a twice-a-week opinion columnist at The Detroit News, where his column on the presidency, culture and socioeconomic issues appear on Mondays and Thursdays in the newspaper. He is the host of the weekly national podcast, Bankole’s Nation. His latest book, Fiery Conscience, published in August of 2023 documents his decades of speaking truth to power as one of the most outspoken voices for racial justice in the nation. The book which was featured by Forbes, and lays out a blueprint for bold and impactful leadership, is also listed in the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, considered the premier repository on the global Black experience.

Civil right leader Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., who over the years has admired and followed Thompson’s work, in January of 2018, presented him with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Martin Luther King Jr. Let Freedom Ring Journalism Award during a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary death of Dr. King. He lauded the journalist for being a preeminent voice of conscience and courage and whose work reflects the legacy of Dr. King’s push for economic justice.

In endorsing Thompson's book, Fiery Conscience, Rev Jackson wrote, "In Fiery Conscience, Bankole takes us on a social, journalistic journey that reminds us that one’s fragilities and triumphs are shaped by one’s past. Thank you, for this vestibule of hope book during our nation’s most moralless times. A time where truth is discounted and lies are ignored. We need your pen more than ever."

Sister Simone Campbell, leader of the historic “Nuns on the Bus” campaign, and one of the leading anti-poverty champions in the modern American Catholic Church, and a social justice advocate has followed Thompson’s work over the years.

“In the midst of these turbulent times in our nation, we need Fiery Conscience more than ever. We are all called to speak out for the sake of truth and struggle together across divides to realize a justice that includes all. Bankole Thompson does just that and his witness can nourish our spirits,” said Campbell, recipient of the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Thompson was the first African American newspaper editor in the nation to conduct a series of exclusive sit-down interviews with former President Barack Obama and wrote a pair of books on Obama.

A member of the National Press Club of Washington D.C., where he’s led discussions on topical issues affecting the nation, Thompson is a sought after speaker and public intellectual who has addressed and keynoted leading institutions such as Brown University, Dillard University, American Jewish Committee, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Federal Bench and Bar Conference for the Eastern District of Michigan among others. He writes and speaks about public leadership, corporate social responsibility, equity, inclusion and political economy.

In August of 2023, Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr., a veteran civil rights leader and one of the last remaining top lieutenants of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who currently serves as the Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the historic Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), tapped Thompson to sit on the National Board of SCLC, the signature civil rights group Dr. King founded, and which played a major role during the Civil Rights Movement. Thompson’s appointment made him the first journalist in American history to sit at the highest decision making body of the civil rights group that Dr. King led and infused his personal legacy into.

In 2015, the University of Michigan Bentley Historically Library, officially established the Bankole Thompson Papers, a comprehensive digital and physical collection to document his work for students and for posterity. The Bentley houses the papers of every Michigan governor.

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