PROVIDENCE, R.I. – On Monday, Feb. 25, from 6-8 p.m., Bishop Joseph Walker III, a highly regarded author and speaker, and his wife, Dr. Stephaine Walker, will appear at Rhode Island College’s Gaige Auditorium to talk about what makes a relationship work. The Walkers are co-authors of the book “Becoming a Couple of Destiny: Living, Loving, and Creating a Life That Matters.” Sponsored by Harambee, this Black History Month event is free and open to the public.
Harambee President Mariama Coker-Kallon, a junior majoring in communication, explained why the student organization invited the Walkers to come to Rhode Island College. She said, “We felt that they’re a strong couple and a good role model for relationships. In the times that we’re living in, with so much hatred going around, we wanted to focus on self-love, loving each other and loving the skin that we’re in.”
“The Walkers are also a high-powered couple constantly in the public eye,” she said. “They have the pressures of career, marriage, family, church and yet they’ve been able to keep their marriage together. I think they’ll be able to educate us at many different levels. I think they bring a good viewpoint for college students.”
Joseph Walker is senior pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, a congregation of more than 30,000 with eight weekly services at three locations, including service on the Web and weekly broadcasts on BET that reach over 25 million viewers.
His inspiring messages have made him a sought-after keynote speaker, a regular guest on “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” and host of other nationally syndicated radio programs. Fondly called “Bishop,” Joseph Walker has made guest appearances on CNN, “CBS This Morning” and “The Roland Martin Show.” He also authors a monthly op-ed titled “Reset” in The Tennessean.
Dr. Stephaine Walker is a former assistant professor of pediatrics and neonatology at Vanderbilt University. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Vanderbilt University and her medical degree from Cornell University Medical College. While a Harvard University Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Minority Health Policy, she completed a Master of Public Health degree at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with a concentration in health policy and management.
Joseph Walker earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern University and A&M College, his Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University; and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He holds two honorary doctorates from Meharry Medical College and Southern University and A&M College respectively. He is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and the Kappa Kappa Psi fraternity.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 8,500 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the School of Nursing and the School of Social Work. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
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