“Just Different”
“Just Different,” a Black History program built on a simple yet powerful truth: different experiences yield different expressions. Too often, we only see people in categories, such as Black or White, Republican or Democrat, rich or poor, without understanding what happened to mold them. This program challenges us to look deeper.
How can two people see the same thing and walk away with two completely different perspectives? Our expressions of how we speak, act, respond, vote, love, and live are shaped by the experiences that formed us.
In this presentation, we will look beneath the surface to explore the root of our differences and how those roots produce the fruit we see in our attitudes, choices, and everyday expressions. We will examine the source and the symptoms, the history that shaped our identity, the pain that shaped our posture, the culture that shaped our confidence, and the victories that shaped our voice.
“Just Different” invites us to see each other with more compassion, more curiosity, and more clarity, as we honor the diverse experiences that created the powerful expressions of Black history and Black culture.
Mansfield (Pete) Key III is a leading Growth Development Strategist and international motivational speaker. He is a Life coach, mentor, consultant, speechwriter, and certified HIV/AIDS Instructor. He holds multiple certifications in grief counseling and 21st-century leadership. He is certified in Relationship Smarts, Fatherhood Initiative, Together We Can, and Basic Training for Relationships from the Human Development Department at Auburn University. Pete successfully participated in and completed the "How to Tell Your Story" Workshop led by the renowned speaker and motivator Les Brown.
He has provided technical assistance to the Federal Government’s Health and Human Services for all 50 states and has worked directly with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Mr. Key has consulted with the Departments of Education and Public Health in several states. He has spoken to the Juvenile Justice System, Foster Care System, the Dream Development Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, Liverpool, England’s Hope Organization, and Steve Harvey's Mentoring Camp.
Pete is the founder and creator of the Lunch with The Keys Program. His Fatherhood program won the Community Action Head Start Fatherhood Program of the Year for the State of Alabama. He was also named Humanitarian of the Year for the Quad Cities by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Auburn University’s Hero Award recipient. He is a member of the 2016-2017 Class of Leadership Alabama and the 2020 President of the Florence Rotary Club. He is also the Character Coach for the University of North Alabama’s Athletic Department. Besides his relationship with God, Key is proud of his family: his devoted wife, Sharlene, and two beautiful daughters, Erin Ruth and Joi Da’Nae Key. His passion for sharing his story and purposeful strategies has impacted millions through presentations, programs, and products. Key believes everyone has something special, but sometimes people need others to help them discover it.
