NPR’s Eric Deggans to speak at MLK Breakfast

Eric Deggans, NPR’s TV critic and media analyst, will be the featured speaker at this year’s MLK Community Breakfast, with a talk titled “Building Bridges Not Walls: Decoding the Media’s Confusing Coverage of Race, Gender & Culture.” The event will be Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, in the Melvin and Dollie Younts Conference Center on Furman University’s campus. The breakfast begins at 8 a.m. with the program following at 8:30 a.m.

The event is an annual opportunity for the community to join Furman students, faculty and staff to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tickets ($50 per person, $400 for a table of eight) are available here. Proceeds support the Joseph Vaughn Scholarships at Furman.

Deggans, a journalist for more than 30 years, is the author of “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation.” The book looks at how prejudice, racism and sexism fuel elements of modern media.

Deggans teaches classes on race, media, reporting and writing as an adjunct instructor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and Indiana University’s Media School. He is a member of the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and chair of the Media Monitoring Committee for the National Association of Black Journalists. From 2017 to 2022, he served as a media analyst/contributor for MSNBC and NBC News and, in August 2013, he guest-hosted CNN’s media analysis show Reliable Sources several times.

In 2019, Deggans served as the first African American chairman of the board of educators, journalists and media experts who select the George Foster Peabody Awards for excellence in electronic media. His one-year tenure as chair capped a total six years he served on the board of jurors.

The MLK Breakfast also features comments by Furman University President Elizabeth Davis, Pastor Reggie Garrett ’98 from Jubilee Baptist Church, Furman student and Furman NCAA Chapter President Miles Baker ’24, a musical selection by Cameron Mitchell ’25, Coordinator of Outreach and Access and Furman Libraries Diversity Coordinator Robyn Andrews, and Furman’s Director of Community Relations and State Representative Chandra Dillard.

The MLK Breakfast at Furman is one of several events honoring King. Other activities include:

• MLK Day of Reflection and Service sponsored by the Heller Service Corps at Furman, Monday, Jan. 15, 10 a.m. Contact nancy.cooper@furman.edu.
• Furman and Alpha Phi Alpha will host the Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Program and Rudolph Gordon College Fair. Saturday, Feb. 3, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Trone Student Center at Furman. Contact mlkfair@alphagreenville.org or 864-441-9067.
• The Joseph Vaughn Oratorical Contest is on Saturday, Feb. 17, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Wade Hampton High School. Contact jvoc@alphagreenville.org or 864-441-9067.