Ronald Smith & Gwen Brown: MidYear 2025 Keynote Speakers
Some people say Ronald Smith's life experiences disqualify him from leading. He knows they’re exactly what qualify him. Gwen Brown has been breaking down barriers for as long as she can remember. Bring the two together and you have an unstoppable team. They have both accomplished so much, but they would tell you that their greatest accomplishment is their bright little boy Titus.
Gwen Brown became the first young woman to letter in 6A high school football in the state of Colorado. No, she was not the kicker. As an offensive and defensive line-woman, Gwen blew past 250 lb tackles and centuries of gender roles all at once. She proved to herself that no stereotype could keep her from doing what she loved, and Gwen loved football. She didn’t stop after high school. She kept playing the game into her 20’s on the Women’s Professional Football League Colorado team, the Valkyries, from 2000-2003.
Ronald grew up in Selma, Alabama--a town that took center stage in the Voting Rights Movement of the 1960s. As a talented basketball player, Ronald played his way out of his poor, rural, racially-divided town and into Los Angeles, where he was later cut before the preseason for the Lakers. In Taiwan, he played in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Alliance). Playing overseas opened Ronald’s mind to the beauty of different cultures and ways of life.
Their paths collided in Selma Alabama, a place known in history for people making the ultimate sacrifice to build the beloved community. As Ronald and Gwen partnered in the fight to pull the cover off racism, bigotry and hatred in Selma they quickly faced opposition. It started by losing sponsors on their radio show, to receiving death threats and culminating with homeland security arresting and individual who was building a bomb with the intent of targeting the radio station. Both drew from those that had gone before them. Freedom fighters like Dr. King, Mandela, Gandhi and many more inspired them to take the high road and never bow to the fear tactics of the opposition. Ronald and Gwen chose to “stick with love, because hate is too great a burden to bear”.
In the state of Alabama, where their partnership was formed, multiracial marriages were not legal until the year 2000. Laws can change, but some of the hearts and mindsets of some haven’t. Ronald and Gwen continue to champion equality and radical love in action both in their personal and professional lives, as they continue to serve Something New and work with young people in communities across the country. Their fresh, creative and real approach on multiculturalism is inspiring and what the world needs to hear. Do we truly stand for “All men are created equal”? Settling is not an option for Ronald and Gwen, join them in the fight of “Building the Beloved Community”.
