December 15, 2022
Oakland University will welcome award-winning actor and best-selling author Hill Harper to campus as the keynote speaker for its 31st annual Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Awards Celebration. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m-1 p.m. on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 16, 2023, in the Oakland Center Founders Ballrooms.
Harper currently stars as Dr. Marcus Andrews on “The Good Doctor” on ABC. He is also co-executive producing “Protector of the Gods,” a trilogy film project which follows three of Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs. Harper previously starred on “CSI: New York” and Showtime's award-winning series “Homeland,” along with headlining HLN’s “How It Really Happened With Hill Harper.”
In theaters, Harper can be seen co-starring alongside Will Smith in “Concussion” and in the Tupac Shakur biopic “All Eyez on Me.” Harper has earned seven NAACP Image Awards for his writing and acting and is a four-time New York Times best-selling author for his books: “Letters to a Young Brother” (named “Best Book for Young Adults” by the American Library Association), “Letters to a Young Sister,” “The Conversation,” and “The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in its Place.”
Harper’s most recent book is the groundbreaking “Letters to an Incarcerated Brother,” which speaks to the current mass incarceration crisis; it was released to critical acclaim and was nominated for several awards. Harper founded The Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to empowering underserved youth to succeed through education, mentorship and grant programs.
Among other endeavors, Harper is a successful entrepreneur. He owns The Roasting Plant Coffee Roastery in Detroit, an award-winning hotel in New Orleans, and The Architect & Co. – a health and wellness company. Harper also owns several commercial and residential rental properties in Los Angeles and Newark, New Jersey, and plans to open a museum named The Harper. In 2021, Harper announced his plans to launch The Black Wall Street platform, aimed at empowering investors of color.
Harper currently serves on the President's Cancer Panel, having been appointed by President Obama in 2011. He travels worldwide as a motivational speaker, addressing current affairs and life-awakening topics to a wide array of audiences of youth, educators and business leaders.
Established in 1993, Oakland University’s Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Awards pay tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his achievements on behalf of civil rights. The awards honor students who have contributed to his legacy of interracial understanding and goodwill. In the past three decades, over 100 students have been awarded Keeper of the Dream scholarships totaling more than $500,000.
This year’s keynote speaker is sponsored by Oakland University Credit Union, PNC Bank, Magna and Corewell Health.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available. Interested parties can contact Tanya Griffith at [email protected] to learn more about supporting this event.
For additional event information, contact the Center for Multicultural Initiatives at [email protected] or (248) 370-4404.