Meet Michael:

Michael Franklin (He/Him/His) is a Senior Legal Communications Major at Howard University by way of Kansas City, KS, and he serves as the 60th Howard University Student Association Executive Vice President. Michael has a dense and diverse resume, working with The Collective as their Digital Media Coordinator and previously working with Fenway Strategies as a Speechwriting Intern, along with previously teaching alongside professors at Stanford Law School, working with experienced experts at the Financial Integrity Network, and beginning his professional career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Michael organized the Inaugural Black Speechwriters Symposium held at Howard in partnership with the Professional Speechwriters Association in 2019 and is a 2x National Champion debater for the HBCU National Speech and Debate League. Michael recently co-founded Speechwriters of Color, a national organization dedicated to advocating for writers of color, amplifying their voices, strengthening recruitment, and promoting representation and professional development in the speechwriting industry.

Notably Michael is a member of the nationally-acclaimed Howard University Speech & Debate Team, Vice President for CASCADE, Howard University's largest & oldest LGBTQ+ organization at any HBCU.

In 2020, Michael participated in a reimagination of the Baldwin-Buckley Debate for the March on Washington Film Festival that has been viewed by nearly a quarter of million people around the world.

Michael lives by the quote from Minneapolis City Councilwoman. Andrea Jenkins, “My ancestors were enslaved in this country, and they hoped and prayed that someday, somebody like me would be able to have a role in shaping how we live. Now that dream has come to fruition. And even though we have a long way to go, we must hope that we will reach our goals. Otherwise, why get out of bed in the morning?”

Read more to learn about my co-curricular experience!