In 1995, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, and speaker Isabel Wilkerson began her research for THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS, a book that would go on to become the most important account of the Great Migration—the movement from 1915 to 1970 of six million African Americans who fled the South for northern and western cities in search of a better life. “It has been exactly 30 years since I first began wading into our underrecognized past in search of the voices that formal history all too often passes over,” she wrote in her recent New York Times editorial.
After 15 years of research, THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS was published by Random House on September 7, 2010. Since publication, the book has won numerous prestigious awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Mark Lynton History Prize, the Anisfield-Wolf Award for Nonfiction, the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Nonfiction, the NAACP Image Award for Best Literary Debut, and was shortlisted for the PEN/Galbraith Literary Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
Recently, Wilkerson told the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau (PRHSB): “I’ve spent the better part of my adulthood researching, writing and now talking about this book, and I still pinch myself over the fact that a 600-page work of history has remained in the public eye and in people’s hearts for so long. To me, it’s a testament to the power of narrative nonfiction to delight and inspire and to transcend false divisions, and, more importantly, to the legacy of the six million brave souls who fled Jim Crow to follow their dreams.”
Shortly after publishing THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS, Wilkerson joined what was at the time the Random House Speakers Bureau and began touring the country and the world to speak about what she calls one of the greatest underreported stories of the 20th Century.
Since launching her speaking career with PRHSB in 2010, Wilkerson has spoken at over 450 events organized by the Bureau, which over half a million people have attended. She has traveled to or virtually appeared in 43 states and countries, including the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Singapore, Canada, Australia, and Brazil, at venues that include universities, libraries, corporations, and non-profits. Her talks, which focus on the history of the Great Migration and the full impact of the movement, and later expanded to include her 2020 book, CASTE, have been hailed as “electrifying” (Oregon Humanities), “intellectually stimulating” (Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati), and “a tremendous joy” (Framingham State University).
Reflecting on her 15-year speaking career, Wilkerson told PRSHB: “It’s been one of the joys of my life to speak to audiences of every stripe and creed about something that binds us all together — the human will to be free. I can feel the energy in the room shift and rise as people see themselves and their families in the stories of migration that I share. In their questions and in their confidences in the signing lines, I hear their recollections and am given feedback that completes the literary circle. It’s a magical communing that feeds my own creativity and is a testing ground for succeeding work. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Highlights from 15 Years of Unforgettable Events:
Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce (2017)
In June 2017, Wilkerson was invited by the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce to speak at their annual DIVERSIFY Luncheon, an event that highlighted diversity and inclusion strategies for local businesses. Wilkerson spoke to 750 major regional employers, suppliers, and business owners about THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS. The client shared heartfelt feedback: “Ms. Wilkerson sets the global standard for giving an engaging speech that involves the audience, provokes thought, elicits empathy and understanding of our histories.”
Isabel Wilkerson with a B&N sales rep at the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce
Fairfield University – Quick Center for the Arts (2022)
In April 2022, Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts’ Open Visions Forum welcomed Wilkerson as their keynote speaker. The virtual lecture was part of the university’s “Women and Leadership” series, sponsored by Bank of America. She spoke to 300 community members and took part in a round table discussion. Asked about the event, the client raved that it was “phenomenal” and went on to say: “This program was ‘one of the best EVER.’ She brought so much passion, inspiration, and knowledge to us this evening, and we are so thankful to everyone for helping to pull this off. We are excited to take her wise words forward with us.”
Colby College (2022)
In May 2022, Wilkerson delivered the commencement address to 2,000 graduates, their families, and staff at Colby College. Client feedback was once again ecstatic: “Absolutely brilliant, one of the best commencement speeches I have ever seen. I hope she felt the Colby love, as it was overflowing from my perspective.” Colby College President David A. Greene gifted a copy of CASTE to every graduate and conferred an honorary degree to Wilkerson, referring to her work as “narrative genius” that “provides the insights and inspiration to meet the highest ideals of our democracy.”
Isabel Wilkerson delivering the commencement address at Colby College
AltaMed All Hands Conference (2024)
In September 2024, Wilkerson spoke to 5,000 employees at the AltaMed Health Services All Hands Conference. AltaMed is a non-profit organization and one of the nation’s largest community health networks. The event celebrated 55 years of serving the community and providing care to patients in the diverse neighborhoods of Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Featured Keynote by Isabel Wilkerson at AltaMed
PRHSB honors and celebrates Isabel Wilkerson for the passion and perseverance with which she has brought her message to audiences and readers across the globe—and we look forward to many more years of collaboration!