In The News

The APB Virtual Platform is the next best thing to the live, in person events. It replicates the full spectrum of a 1-3 day live conference, including keynotes, panels, workshops, sponsor/exhibitor booths, and more – with multiple opportunities for networking and interactions. With the money you save on hosting a live, in-person event (including venue rental, food and beverage, travel, and other expenses), you can feature a higher caliber of talent and content than ever before. Best of all, you’ll work with the most experienced agents in the business and a company with an almost 60-year reputation for creative programming and excellence.

In celebration of Pride Month, we honor APB speaker Cleve Jones, a renowned activist and speaker whose work began in the 1970s during the gay liberation movement. A mentee of groundbreaking LGBTQ+ activist Harvey Milk, Jones has gone on to co-found the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, create the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and publish the memoir, When We Rise. 

New York Times bestselling author and APB speaker Wes Moore is about to release his new book, Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City, which was originally based on his personal journey to explore what happened in his hometown, but soon turned into a larger exploration of poverty and inequity; purpose and disillusionment; focus and frustration.

NBA legend and APB speaker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently wrote a poignant op-ed for the LA Times defending the protests taking place across the country. In this moving piece, Kareem defends these protests saying he doesn’t want to see stores being looted. He goes on to remind people that the protests are what happens when the black community has been pushed to their tipping point. “The black community is used to the institutional racism inherent in education, the justice system and jobs. And even though we do all the conventional things to raise public and political awareness…the needle hardly budges,” he says. “African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible—even if you’re choking on it—until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere,” Kareem writes. Abdul-Jabbar also goes on to say that racism is deadlier than COVID-19.  

Known best for her role as "Maria" on Sesame Street, APB speaker Sonia Manzano is teaming up with National Geographic on a powerful new children’s book called A World Together. During a time when the world must come together as one, Sonia’s Sesame Street character “Maria” offers readers warmth and wit in a picture book that looks across cultures and generations to celebrate what unites us. National Geographic and Manzano are excited to unveil A World Together, which will be released on September 15th 2020. 

College football star, attorney, author, former FBI agent and former federal prosecutor M. Quentin Williams is now working with law enforcement, the community and a growing number of athletes in building bridges to inspire social change and understanding.

During this time of social distancing, APB is doing our part in bringing the world a little closer. Check out this week's volume of HealthCast, which showcases a range of content—podcasts, TED talks, current articles and interviews—from some of our most informative, inspiring, sought-after speakers.

Today is Juneteenth, a day that should be recognized by all Americans. It marks June 19, 1865, when enslaved African-Americans throughout Texas learned that they were free—news that took approximately two months after the Confederate surrender of  the Civil War and two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation to reach them. It is also the anniversary of the Greenwood Massacre, one of the worst episodes of racist violence in U.S. history. On June 19, 1921 a white mob stormed a thriving African-American neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, burning it to the ground and killing 300 people. As our nation recognizes the legacy of Juneteenth during a time of heightened consciousness over pervasive racism and persecution in our nation, we urge you to learn more about the significance of this anniversary.

CNN’s Chief National Correspondent and speaker John King says recent coronavirus statistic are frustrating. As states are beginning to reopen, the U.S. COVID19 death toll has crossed 103,000. On this week’s segment of Inside Politics, King highlights one of the most compounding and upsetting facts about coronavirus. The pandemic is affecting the African American population most prominently, with 25% of the COVID-19 deaths hitting that specific race.  

Award-winning author and APB speaker Dr. Donna Hicks is the pioneering mind behind the Dignity Model, a signature approach that she has applied to the most divisive and deep-seated conflicts around the world. In her recent blog post, Donna mentions how the assaults to the dignity of African Americans perpetrated by police have a long history in this country.