GROVE CITY, Pa. – Joe Rogers, acclaimed national speaker and former Colorado lieutenant governor, will be on the Grove City College campus Jan. 25 to give a presentation in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Rogers will speak at 7 p.m. in Harbison Chapel. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Rogers became the United States’ youngest lieutenant governor and only the fourth African American in U.S. history to be elected as a state’s second-in-command when he took office as Colorado’s lieutenant governor. He completed his term in 2003. Now a practicing attorney in Colorado, he serves on the seven-member blue ribbon National Commission on the Voting Rights Act. In 2001, Rogers received the prestigious Trumpet Award from Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting System. The Trumpet Award is one of the nation’s highest honors bestowed in recognition of African-American achievement. Those who have received the award include Muhammad Ali, former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Tiger Woods, Colin Powell, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Sidney Poitier. Rogers has been profiled in a number of publications including “The New York Times,” “The Washington Post,” “The Washington Times” and “Business Week” and “Ebony” magazines.

Rogers established The Dream Alive Program in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement leaders’ contributions to the nation’s history. Rogers, who has been to campus previously, presents a strong message that parallels the mission of Grove City College, said Vice President for Student Life and Learning Dr. Jean-Noel Thompson.

“He adds a whole new element in the celebration of Dr. King,” Thompson said, “I think he’s going to engage folks at every level of our constituency to think about what it means to live in and serve in this country.”

The event is hosted by the Office of Student Life and Learning and will feature the music of the Urban Impact Children’s Choir. For more information on the Dream Alive Program, go to www.dreamalive.org.