Mississippi Valley State University will host the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Black History Convocation at 11 a.m. Thursday, February 22, 2024, in the Walter Roberts Auditorium in the H.G. Carpenter Building.
The 2024 theme for Black History Month is “African Americans and the Arts,” which seeks to raise awareness of the influence that African Americans have had in visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression.
The keynote speaker will be MVSU Alum and Mississippi House of Representative Member John W. Hines Sr. of District 50.
Hines is a 23-year House of Representatives veteran. He was born and raised in Greenville, MS, and is a product of the Greenville Public Schools.
Hines began his college career at Jackson State University and then decided to serve his country in the United States Army. He is a service-connected disabled veteran. He completed his undergraduate work at Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration.
Representative Hines takes pride in fighting for the least of these, and his love for community and children led to his election as State Representative in 2001.
Hines welcomes the opportunity to use his unique negotiating insights to advocate for the rights of citizens in his district. For 2024, Hines is Vice Chair for Local & Private Legislation. He is also a member of the following legislative committees: Appropriations, Housing, Insurance, Management, Medicaid, and Public Health and Human Services.
Adding to his unique background, Representative Hines has been featured in two documentaries, one with President Barack Obama entitled "Working." The other is entitled "In Their Bones,” which details the wage disparities of women in Mississippi.
Representative Hines is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; 100 Black Men of the Mississippi Delta; the NAACP; Young Men Making a Difference; and a former FEMA National Advisory Council member with two presidential appointments. Representative Hines is married to Cynthia Gray and has six children and five grandchildren.