Fort Valley State University News October 13, 2010 CNN analyst spotlights education in the black community at FVSU Seasoned journalist and syndicated commentator, Roland Martin is known for conducting dynamic interviews and providing a fresh perspective on hot button social issues and current events. The award-winning author and columnist will tell Fort Valley State University students why knowledge is power, during a lecture entitled, "The Importance of Education: Meeting and Overcoming the Challenges facing African-Americans," at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27 in the Pettigrew Center. The Houston, Tex. native attended Jack Yates High School, a Magnet School of Communications and entered Texas A&M University on an academic scholarship, where he received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1991. In May 2008, he earned a master's degree in Christian Communications at Louisiana Baptist University. Today, viewers can watch Martin's stinging, no holds barred commentary on TV One Cable Network. He is also a CNN analyst appearing on primetime shows including the Situation Room, and Anderson Cooper 360. In August 2007, he joined Essence.com. Moreover, in October 2008, he teamed with The Tom Joyner Morning Show as senior analyst. Named by Ebony magazine in 2008 as one of the 150 Most Influential African Americans in the United States, he is the 2008 winner of the NAACP Image Award in the category of Best Interview for, "In conversation: The Senator Barack Obama Interview." Martin is the author of Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America, Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith and The First: President Barack Obama's Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin. FVSU's free lecture series continues Nov. 10 with Grammy award winning rapper, Ludacris. For more information about the series, please call FVSU's Development Office at (478) 825-6959. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.