Activist is keynote speaker for Black History Month at TCC

Community activist Michael Tubbs is the keynote speaker for Tidewater Community College’s Black History Month celebration.

Tubbs will speak on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in the Roper Performing Arts Center. A reception begins at 5 p.m., and dessert will be served following the program. His appearance, which is sponsored by the TCC Office for Intercultural Learning, is free and open to the public.

Tubbs will talk about his life journey and humble beginnings. He was born to a teen mother and incarcerated father. With grit and determination, he climbed out of poverty to become a community leader and was elected in 2012 to the Stockton (Calif.) City Council at the age of 21, making him the city’s youngest ever council member and one of the youngest elected officials in the nation.

A first-generation college student, Tubbs was admitted to Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. During his first year, he was selected as the Founder’s Day speaker, the first freshman in the history of the university to serve in this capacity.

Passionate about mentoring and empowering youth, Tubbs is motivated by his Christian faith to reach those who are less fortunate.

While at Stanford, Tubbs co-founded a task force to end racial profiling in Palo Alto, mentored low-income high school students for the Stanford College Prep program, and served as co-chair of diversity and tolerance initiatives for the Associated Students of Stanford.

He spearheaded the creation of “Save our Stockton,” a group that successfully engaged the mayor and city council in establishing a mayoral task force on youth and crime. He also serves as executive director of the Phoenix Project, where he leads Stanford undergraduates in mentoring and providing free college admissions consulting to minority youth throughout California.

In 2011, Tubbs graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s in comparative studies in race and ethnicity and a master’s in policy, organization and leadership studies from the Stanford School of Education.

This year’s Black History Month is under the national theme “The Golden Jubilee of the Civil Rights Act.”

The celebration includes a wide assortment of free, public activities throughout February with performances, discussions and entertainment at each of TCC’s campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach. TCC invites the community to celebrate the rich and diverse contributions of African-Americans. All activities listed, except those noted, are open to the public.

Visit www.tcc.edu/blackhistory for more information or call TCC’s Information Center at 757- 822-1122.