Activist Michaela Angela Davis to speak at Buffalo State's MLK celebration on Feb. 2

Michaela Angela Davis, a writer, editorial director, activist and regular CNN contributor, will deliver the keynote address at Buffalo State's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Admission is free.

Davis has a storied career that includes stints as a fashion director and editor of magazines such as Essence, Vibe and Honey. She recently served as cable station BET's editorial brand manager and editorial lead of the award-winning rebrand of Centric - the first network designed for black women.

Davis, who lives in Brooklyn, also is the creator of "MAD FREE: Liberating Conversations About Image, Beauty, and Power." Her activism began in 2005 when she co-created with Essence magazine the "Take Back the Music Campaign," a national conversation about misogyny and misrepresentation of women of color in hip-hop music videos.

The NAACP and others have lauded Davis for her work expanding the perceptions of women of color in mainstream media. She has led conversations on gender and race on several university campuses and major television networks.

"We are honored to have a woman of Ms. Davis' caliber delivering a talk during a celebration of one of the top civil rights leader," said Jason Parker, diversity program coordinator in the Buffalo State Office of Equity and Campus Diversity (which is sponsoring the MLK celebration in collaboration with the Faculty-Student Association, Alumni Affairs Office, Grant Allocation Committee, United Students Government, The Buffalo Challenger Community News and the Burchfield Penney Art Center). "We believe her message will resonate with students as well as members of the community."

For more information, call 716-878-6210 or visit theBurchfield Penney website.