About Barry Bradford Motivational Speaker

I am an award-winning motivational speaker, historian, and writer on popular culture. I lecture internationally on leadership and personal empowerment.

My commitment to justice and belief in an individual’s power to affect history led me to make history as the leader of the team that reopened the Mississippi Burning case and brought a murderer to justice.

Furthermore, I spearheaded a movement to convince the State of Mississippi to clear the name of Civil Rights martyr Clyde Kennard.

My successes in these high-profile cases, along with my many experiences, awards, and recognitions, infuse my keynotes and workshops with conviction, humor, intrigue, and passion.

My work has led to awards from the President, Congress, and major Civil Rights groups. I am a former National Teacher Of The Year and Illinois State Teacher Of The Year and a winner of the prestigious Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Called “dramatic, entertaining, and powerful,” I have been interviewed by nearly every major media outlet, including The Today Show, The New York Times, U.S. News And World Report, ABC, CBS, and NBC Evening News, The Times Of London, Chinese National Television, The Voice of America, The Washington Post, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and C-SPAN. In my hometown of Chicago, I have been featured on the front page of the Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, and the Chicago Daily Herald. As a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians, I have been praised for my “funny and brilliantly crafted presentations.”

I live in the Chicago suburbs with my rescue dog, Ace. My daughter is a public school teacher in Chicago, and my son is a college student in Iowa. My passions are volunteering, reading, and Broadway. I travel throughout the U.S., speaking for colleges, universities, and businesses. My bachelor’s degree in psychology and communications is from Goddard College (Plainfield, VT), and my master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies is from DePaul University (Chicago). I have also taken extensive postgraduate coursework at Northwestern University.

Please visit the media center for photos, media articles, and video clips.

Barry Bradford Motivational Speaker Intro

Our speaker today has been recognized as one of America’s best teachers and most dynamic public speakers. Don’t take my word for it – The Organization Of American Historians named him as the best teacher in America AND named him as a Distinguished Lecturer – the first and only high school teacher to earn that honor!

Barry Bradford has won an award from the President, two from the Congress, and several from leading Civil Rights Organizations. You may remember him from his appearances on the Today Show, The CBS Evening News, and over 75 other media outlets around the world. Barry has even been profiled on Chinese National Television! He is the author of one book, numerous articles and has served as consultant for the writing of the GED exam.

Barry may be best known for twice leading teams of students to reopen two of the most infamous “Cold Cases” in the history of the Civil Rights Era. His leadership in the reopening of the Clyde Kennard case created a legal precedent that has cleared the names of three more men who were wrongfully convicted. His tireless work in pursuing justice in the Mississippi Burning case helped lead to a conviction of Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen, and praise from both Barack Obama and conservative Mississippi Senator Trent Lott. Any speaker who can get those two to agree clearly has something to say to us today!

Barry Bradford lives in Deerfield, Illinois.

 

The father of a Chicago public school teacher and a college student, he spends his time at church, doing volunteer work, reading, cooking or walking his rescue dog, Ace

 

When asked his philosophy, Barry usually quotes Anne Frank: “How beautiful it is that no one need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Please welcome Barry Bradford!