Bernard Kinsey, a Florida A&M alumnus, is the guest speaker for this year’s homecoming convocation.
Kinsey is an avid art collector, and owns one of the largest collections of 19th and 20th century artifacts tracing the history of black people.
Kinsey and his wife are currently featuring their art collection in the Mary Brogan Museum. The Kinsey collection contains sculptures, paintings and documents.
One rare item includes a letter written to Malcolm X and another letter from a slave owner in 1854 who gave it to a then 17-year-old black enslaved chambermaid who was about to be sold.
Kinsey met his wife Shirley at FAMU and he graduated in 1967. He became the first black sales representative for Humble Oil Company in Los Angeles. In 1971, he left Humble Oil and joined Xerox Corporations, where he came to serve as vice president 10 years later.
Kinsey left Xerox in 1991 and committed to serving the Los Angeles community.
As the chief operating officer and co-chairman of Rebuild Los Angeles, Kinsey worked with the program devoted to providing jobs, economic opportunities and pride after the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
In 2006, Kinsey was honored by the Black Legacy of Giving Foundation for his work as a black leader and philanthropist in education and the arts.
If students or alumni are interested in hearing Kinsey speak, the convocation will be held in Gaither Gymnasium at 10:10 a.m. on Friday.
For more information regarding Bernard Kinsey’s visit to FAMU, contact the Office of Communications at 850-599-3413.