When Allen McKellar won an essay contest in 1940, he had no idea he would become a pioneer in the business world.
As part of a national campaign to sell Pepsi-Cola to black consumers, McKellar and another college graduate, Jeanette Maund were hired to sell Pepsi in Texas. The two rode segregated buses and trains, convinced white bottlers on the merits of selling to black communities and broke the color barrier for millions of African Americans moving up the corporate ladder.
McKellar, now living in St. Louis, will be the keynote speaker, for the Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday observance, 10 a.m. Jan. 16 in the Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Don Marsh, St. Louis Public Radio | 90.7 KWMU host will serve as master of ceremonies. The Dickson String Quartet, UMSL’s sibling student quartet, and the St. Alphonsus Liguori Rock Church Choir will perform.
For more information contact UMSL’s Office of equal Opportunity and Diversity at 314-516-5695 or visit umsl.edu/services/oeo.
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