Lisa McNair
2025 MLK Celebration Keynote Speaker

Lisa McNair’s older sister, Denise, was one of the four young girls tragically killed in the notorious 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. In her memoir, *Dear Denise: Letters to the Sister I Never Knew*, Lisa invites readers into the intimate life of a family who endured unimaginable loss at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Determined to create meaning from their daughter’s death, Lisa’s parents dedicated themselves to bridging racial divides and fostering change.

Through poignant, often entertaining stories, Lisa reveals the resilience and heartache experienced by many first-generation post-segregation African Americans. *Dear Denise* was honored as one of NPR’s “Books We Love” in 2022, and Lisa was recently featured as a distinguished author at the Monroeville Literary Festival in the Alabama town that also produced Harper Lee and Truman Capote.

Today, Lisa is a highly sought-after national speaker. With a gift for storytelling that sparks empathy and fosters unity, she speaks powerfully on the importance of racial reconciliation, a message she grounds in her family’s choice to respond to tragedy with love rather than hate. Lisa believes it is vital for all generations to hear and remember the stories of the Civil Rights Movement, ensuring that its hard-won lessons are preserved for our state, our country, and our world.