Author Austin Channing Brown will present the address “Speaking Truth to Power” on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts as the 2019 Black History Month keynote lecture at Hope College.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

The address will feature insights from her book “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness.” Topics will include contemporary issues such as implicit bias, racial micro aggressions, stereotype threat and sense of belonging.

Published in May 2018, “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness” shot to the top 20 of Amazon's bestsellers list. For months it has continued to sit in the top 20 in “Christian Social Issues” and “Memoirs of Social Activists.” The book has received acclaim from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and a host of other reviewers; caught the attention of readers such as Chelsea Clinton, who tweeted in May “Just ordered @austinchannings #imstillhere and can’t wait to read it”; and has been featured by a variety of media.

Channing Brown’s writing can also be found in Sojourners Magazine, Relevant Magazine and other places around the web.

Channing Brown attended North Park University, where she earned a degree in business management, and also has a master’s degree in social justice from Marygrove College in Detroit. Since earning her master’s, she has worked with nonprofits, churches, and universities for the advancement of racial justice and reconciliation.

There will be a book signing at the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts following the presentation. Members of the audience may bring their own copies for signing; books will also be available for purchase.

The lecture is a collaboration of the college’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Student Activities Committee, Black Student Union, Campus Ministries program and GROW Collaboration.

The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.