African-American entrepreneur Earl G. “Butch” Graves, Jr. will deliver the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 5th in Graham Chapel. The lecture, titled “The Media History and Portrayal of Black America,” is free and open to the public.
Graves was keynote speaker during the 2004 St. Louis American Foundation Salute To Excellence in Business Luncheon.
In 1998, Graves became chief operating officer and president of the Earl G. Graves Publishing Company, responsible for publishing Black Enterprise magazine. This transition marked a new generation of leadership for the family-owned company.
Black Enterprise is a national publication that advocates for the establishment and success of minority-owned enterprises. It was started in 1970 by Earl G. Graves, Sr. to provide readers with information on African-American business markets, financial management, entrepreneurship and careers. Over the years, it has become the premier business news source for African Americans, reaching about 3.7 million readers worldwide and earning sales revenues that near $60 million. Since 1997, it has been awarded the FOLIO: Editorial Excellence Award for Business/ Finance three times.