Talk radio host and civil rights activist Joe Madison will speak at Northern Kentucky University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration program at 7 p.m. Jan. 15 in Otto Budig Theater.

Madison, called ‘The Black Eagle,’ is a Washington D.C.-based talk radio host and civil rights activist. According to his Web site, the ‘Black Eagle’ needs two wings to fly. Madison translates that need into balancing his voice on radio with his fight against social injustice world wide.

Michael Griffin, event coordinator in African American Student Affairs and Ethnic Services, said the event is a big deal for NKU.

‘He does not just use the rhetoric of social change, but actively participates in making sure social change does happen,’ Griffin said.

Madison has traveled to locations around the world to ‘ensure people of color are not undervalued, underestimated or marginalized,’ according to his Web site. In 2004, he demonstrated for 90 consecutive days in front of the Sudanese Embassy to try to end the genocide in Darfur. His protest helped lead to the House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and finally the Bush administration in declaring that genocide was taking place in Darfur.
Madison has also traveled to war zones in southern Sudan, helping free more than 7,000 slaves and delivering survival kits to refugees.

‘Mr. Madison has given his entire life to fighting for social justice,’ Griffin said. ‘There are few talk show hosts who bring social justice to life the way he does.’

Madison’s efforts have garnered him many awards, including Talker magazine’s Freedom of Speech award in April 2008.

‘We hope students gain a greater awareness of what Dr. King’s legacy truly means to today,’ Griffin said. ‘We want the campus community to understand that while we have made substantial advancements in our society, we still have much work to do and Dr. King’s dream has not (yet) been realized.’

Madison can be heard daily on WOL-AM in Washington D.C. and on XM Channel 169.