Matt Kelley, the 23-year-old founder and CEO of The Mavin Foundation and editor-in-chief of Mavin magazine, will speak on Thursday, March 28, at 7:00 p.m. in the Hampton Room of the Malott Commons on the 61传媒campus. Kelley’s appearance at 61传媒is co-sponsored by The Claremont Colleges’ student group Hapas United and is part of the college’s yearlong 75th anniversary celebration. A reception immediately follows. This event is free and open to the public.
The Mavin Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to redefining diversity by promoting a cohesive, multicultural society, is Kelley’s brainchild. In 1998, as a freshman at Wesleyan University, Kelley founded Mavin, the only internationally acclaimed journal celebrating multiracial and transracially adopted people.
The word “mavin” has roots in Hebrew and means “one who understands.” Kelley, who is half-Korean, half-Caucasian, started Mavin to acknowledge multiple ethnic and cultural identities in a country in which, he says, “racial dialogue is framed primarily in terms of black and white.”
Kelley has been featured in the national media for his innovative approach to race and diversity issues. In November 2001, President George W. Bush awarded Kelley a “Points of Light” distinction for “helping to solve serious social problems through volunteer service.”
Kelley has donated thousands of volunteer hours to organizations serving underprivileged children who come from backgrounds of abuse and neglect. He also serves as vice president of the Association of MultiEthnic Americans (AMEA), on the Seattle Art Museum’s development initiative for communities of color, and on the Board of Directors for the Central District Forum of Arts and Ideas, a Seattle-based not-for-profit celebrating African-American culture.