In this Great Minds event, best-selling author Jonathan Eig talks about his most recent book King: A Life, hailed by the New York Times as “monumental”, which presents a new portrait of civil rights icon Dr Martin Luther King Jr. He’ll be joined by Birmingham-based human rights activist, author and social commentator Maxie Hayles MBE, who will share his reflections on civil rights and activism in the UK.

Jonathan began his writing career at age 16, working for his hometown newspaper, The Rockland County (N.Y.) Journal News, studied journalism at Northwestern University, and went on to work as a reporter for The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Dallas Morning News, Chicago Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. He’s appeared on the Today Show, NPR’s Fresh Air, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Maxie Hayles MBE is particularly known in the Midlands as a Black British civil rights leader. In Birmingham, for over 30 years or so, he was the ‘go-to man’ for defence against racial discriminations or justice after a racial attack. For most of his adult life Maxie has dedicated his life to fight for racial justice, for respect and dignity to a people he feels immensely proud to belong to. Maxie is the author of Taking it to the Max, an autobiography about his life.

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