Reyes to speak at Human Rights Banquet in Cd'A

Raymond Reyes, associate academic vice president and chief diversity officer for Gonzaga University, will deliver the keynote speech at the 21st annual Human Rights Banquet hosted by the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. The banquet will take place Friday, April 20, at the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn, 506 Appleway Ave., with a reception at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are $40 per person with tables available. All proceeds will benefit the Human Rights Education Institute and fund four minority scholarships at North Idaho College. Funds from a live and silent auction will benefit the task force.

The theme of this year’s banquet is “Our Pursuit for Equality and Social Justice for the Human Race Continues.”

Prior to his current position, Reyes taught undergraduate courses in sociology, religious studies and philosophy as well as a graduate seminar for the MBA program on tribal leadership at Gonzaga. He has been at Gonzaga since 1987.

“Raymond is one of the few truly Renaissance individuals with incredible compassion that I’m met in my life,” said longtime friend and KCTFHR founding member Tony Stewart. “We’re so fortunate to have him as our keynote speaker at this year’s banquet.”

As an internationally recognized authority in human rights, equity, social justice, diversity education, Indian education, sports psychology, multicultural literacy, spiritual signficance of human differences and more, Reyes has conducted seminars and given addresses throughout the U.S., Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Colombia and Canada. He has spoken to audiences at colleges and universities, hospitals, schools, businesses, churches and government agencies.

From 1994 to 1998, he conducted classes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs on sports psychology for the Native American male and female elite runners. As a model for the athletes, Reyes has completed 11 26.2-mile marathon races. Reyes has published numerous articles and chapters in books on more than a dozen topics.

He holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Eastern Washington University, a master’s degree in public administration from the City University of New York and a doctorate in education leadership from Gonzaga.

Reyes has been the recipient of a multitude of awards, including the Eugene T. Carothers Human Relations Award, the Spokane NAACP Community Leadership Freedom Award and the GU Institute for Hate Studies Eva Lassman Take Action Against Hate Annual Award.

Reyes’ community work has included serving on the Spokane County Human Rights Task Force, Spokane Task Force on Human Relations and Thin Air Public Radio and Leadership board.

The board of the Idaho Hall of Fame will attend the banquet and will induct three new members: The Coeur d’Alene Tribe, longtime Coeur d’Alene City Council member Ron Edinger and Jerry Jaeger, co-owner and former president of Hagadone Hospitality.

For tickets and info, visit idahohumanrights.org and click on “banquet” or call 208-765-3932.