John Legend

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and institution builder, Professor Gates has published numerous books and produced and hosted an array of documentary films. The Black Church (PBS) and Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches (HBO), which he executive produced, have each received Emmy nominations. His latest history series for PBS is Making Black America: Through the Grapevine. Finding Your Roots, Gates’s groundbreaking genealogy and genetics series, is now in its ninth season on PBS.

Gates is a recipient of a number of honorary degrees, including his alma mater, the University of Cambridge. Gates was a member of the first class awarded “genius grants” by the MacArthur Foundation in 1981, and in 1998 he became the first African-American scholar to be awarded the National Humanities Medal.

A native of Piedmont, West Virginia, Gates earned his B.A. in History, summa cum laude, from Yale University in 1973, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature from Clare College at Cambridge in 1979, where he is also an Honorary Fellow.  He is the co-founder of The Root.com.  A former chair of the Pulitzer Prize board, he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and serves on a wide array of boards, including the New York Public Library, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Aspen Institute, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Library of America, and The Studio Museum of Harlem. In 2011, his portrait, by Yuqi Wang, was hung in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

John Legend is an EGOT-winning, critically acclaimed, multiplatinum artist and producer who has garnered 13 Grammy^® Awards, an Academy Award^®, a Golden Globe^® Award, a Tony^® Award and four Emmy^® Awards, among others. Legend has released eleven albums over the course of his career: Get Lifted (2004), Once Again (2006), Evolver (2008), Wake Up! (with The Roots) (2010), Love in the Future (2013), Darkness and Light (2016), A Legendary Christmas (2018), Bigger Love (2020), LEGEND (2022), LEGEND (Solo Piano Version) (2023) and My Favorite Dream (2024).  After releasing the 20^th anniversary digital deluxe version of his Grammy^® -winning debut album, Get Lifted—featuring new remixes and collaborations with artists including Tems, Simi, Killer Mike, and Lil Wayne, Legend launched his “Get Lifted 20th Anniversary World Tour” in May and will kick off with the North American leg this August, bringing his acclaimed debut album back to the stage. Legend recently wrapped coaching Season 27 of NBC’s The Voice and will return to the red chair for Season 29. Beyond music, Legend co-founded Get Lifted Film Co., a production company that has developed projects with major networks including ABC, NBC, FOX, HBO, Showtime, Netflix and FX, alongside partners Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius. Aside from film, TV and theater, Get Lifted has partnered with Zando to form Get Lifted Books, building upon Get Lifted Film Co.’s mission of spotlighting stories from dynamic creatives. In 2023, Legend launched Loved01, his luxurious and accessible unisex skincare brand. As an activist, Legend established FREEAMERICA in 2015 to transform the conversation surrounding criminal justice policies and end mass incarceration.

TICKETS AND SEATING

Tickets are not required. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

DIRECTIONS

Driving directions to LMU are available. Please use the main LMU entrance at Lincoln and LMU Drive. PDF Campus Map | Interactive Campus Map 

PARKING

Please enter campus via Lincoln Boulevard. Parking will be available in Drollinger Parking Plaza and Lot-A, Hannon Parking Lot. We recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before the start of the presentation to allow time for parking and locating the event. 

Please note that LMU charges visitors to park. Pay kiosks are located in each lot. You will need your license plate number to register your vehicle at the kiosk. Parking and rate information is available.