Cultural Diversity Roster

Find a Presenter

speaker

Jonathan Perry

Jonathan Perry

Gay Student Activist

Jonathan Perry is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University,

See Below for Full Bio

Categories :

Add To My Speakers List Request Availabilty
[Sassy_Social_Share]

Bio

Full Bio

Jonathan Perry is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University, a historically Black college in Charlotte, North Carolina and the first black, openly gay, HIV+ student at an HBCU to speak out, anywhere in America.

A very outspoken student activist, Perry managed to organize forums on race and sexual orientation. In addition, he also founded Johnson C. Smiths Universitys first official, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) organization.

A native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, Perry contracted HIV in 2000 while visiting a friend on the West Coast.

“It took me a year to understand that I could very well die from this disease,” Perry says, who has not been ill from the infection.

Getting involved in HIV-education programs on campus helped bring him out of the depression that almost took his life. He first told his story publicly in 2002 at an assembly of more than 150 Johnson C. Smith students.

Perry has been quoted in numerous news articles, magazines, and other publications. He has also been interviewed by Candace Gingrich. More recently, he was profiled by CNN.com, POZ Magazine, and The New York Times.

Jonathans activism eventually caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, when in April 2004, she read his story on CNN.com and asked him to share his story on her show. He appeared on the show Men Living on the Down Low and was later featured on BETs Open Mic and BET.com.

Now, Perry has turned his devastation into activism. In September 2004, he completed a three-month consulting contract with the Black AIDS Institute in Los Angeles, California.

Check Availability

MM slash DD slash YYYY
Check Availability for

Topics

Topics

Attitude, Diversity, Inspirational, Lifestyle

BAI: Black Media Round Table

Women & AIDS

Adolescent Sexuality

HIV & HBCU’s

The DownLow Discussion

Videos

Videos

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry | Full Movie | Gavin MacLeod | Jansen Panettiere
"If Whiskey Could Talk" Covered by Jonathan Perry

Books

Please Contact Us For More Information

News

Please Contact Us For More Information

TESTIMONIALS

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

We have received so much fantastic feedback following our virtual event. It was an absolute success, and Sylvia Fowles was excellent. Thank you again to Sylvia and the entire team for your partnership!”

U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

Sysco Corporation

The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

GET IDEAS

1 Hour or Less
914-940-0075 "America's Entertainment Leader"