Georgia Southern to host Dr. Steve Perry for annual MLK Celebration

December 2, 2015

Georgia Southern will welcome Dr. Steve Perry, founder and principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut, to campus for the University’s 2016 MLK Celebration on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center, 847 Plant Drive, Statesboro.

Perry was featured in CNN’s Black in America series, and is the most talked about, innovative educator on the scene today. As the principal of Capital Prep, Perry has seen 100 percent of the predominantly low-income, minority, first generation high school graduates go on to attend four-year colleges every year since its first class graduated in 2006.

Born into his family’s third generation of poverty on his mother’s 16th birthday, Perry believes that the success of a life is determined by where you end, not where you start. It is this philosophy that inspired him to transform the lives of poor and minority children by providing them with access to a college education.

“We are so excited to bring Dr. Perry, who is a passionate, hardworking and dedicated advocate for social justice through education, to be our 2016 MLK Jr. speaker,” said Dorsey Baldwin, director of Georgia Southern’s Multicultural Student Center. “Dr. Perry’s commitment to improving the lives of young people is truly admirable.”   

In addition to serving as the principal of Capital Prep, Perry is an education contributor for CNN and MSNBC, an Essence Magazine columnist, best-selling author and host of the No. 1 docudrama for TVONE, “Save My Son.”

Perry also is a strong advocate of personal and civic responsibility in all aspects of life. He emphasizes the social issues that aim at building up both the individual and the community so the next generation can be better contributing members of society.

“Dr. Perry’s commitment to education for all is a vibrant and living testimony to Dr. King’s legacy of striving for equality for all,” said Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Teresa Thompson, Ph.D. “We are pleased to have him to share his passion for social justice through education with our students.”

The annual celebration to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, and the University’s Multicultural Student Center. Visit www.DrStevePerry.org.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125 degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu