Friday, February 15, 2008

Andrew Gillum will keynote FAMU’s Black History Month Convocation


Florida A&M University alum and Tallahassee City Commissioner Andrew Gillum will serve as the keynote speaker for FAMU’s Black History Month Convocation Friday, February 22, at 10:10 a.m., in the Jake Gaither Gymnasium. The general public is invited to attend, and all classes will be suspended.

A Miami native and Gainesville bred, Gillum graduated from FAMU’s political science program in 2003. During his tenure at FAMU, Gillum served as student senator and Student Government Association President from 2001 to 2002. He was the first student member of the FAMU Board of Trustees.

Gillum addressed the Democratic National Convention concerning election violations in Florida soon after the 2000 presidential election. In 2003, he was elected the youngest person ever to the Tallahassee City Commission. In 2004, he was re-elected by the citizens of Tallahassee, to serve as one of four on the Tallahassee City Commission. That same year, his peers elected him Mayor Pro Tem.

After accepting a position as field organizer with the Tallahassee Office of Young Elected Officials Network with People for the American Way Foundation (PFAWF), Gillum organized and led a campaigning encouraging voters called Arrive With 5. In 2003, Gillum served as the deputy political director of the Florida Democratic Party.

Gillum has received numerous awards and honors. He was recognized by the National Center for Policy Alternatives in Washington, D.C. as the country's top student leader in 2001. In 2003, he received the Emerging Leaders Award from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. Ebony magazine named him one of The Fast Track 30 Leaders Who are 30 and Under in 2004 and Tallahassee Community College honored him in their Fourth Annual African-American History Calendar. In 2007, Gillum was named “Emerging Leader of the Year” by IMPACT, a national organization based on recognizing and training emerging leaders ages 21 through 40.

For more information, call (850) 412-5211.

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