Home - Cleo Scott Brown | History Matters Institute

History is always teaching.

It’s Time We Listen.

Conversations, History-Based Presentations, Keynotes, Panels, Book Talks

Change Agent and Award-Winning Author
on Racial Division and Voter Disenfranchisement

“History offers the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of past
generations, recorded to protect us from repeating
past mistakes.” – Cleo Scott Brown

History-Based Talks & Writings Designed
for Knowledge, Introspection, and Transformation

“Experience is the best teacher, but she charges heavily for her services.” – Anonymous,1895

We can keep making the same mistakes or we can learn the lessons history was recorded to teach.

Book Cleo, a gifted speaker, storyteller, and writer as she presents sometimes uncomfortable and complex history in a way that is interesting, that puts audiences at ease and that leads them to a place of increased understanding of themselves and others.

Cleo Speaks

Powerful storytelling. Thought-provoking conversations.
Heart-connecting presentations. Impactful lessons.
New Understanding.

Be inspired. Be changed. Act now.

Signature Topics

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We know something is wrong. It can’t be fixed without knowing the root.

Current Problems

Poor historical awareness
Temporary Ineffective solutions
Emotion-driven responses
Superficial conversations that discourage critical thinking
Desensitized presentations and content
Reluctance to share experiences with the next generation.

Providing Solutions

An understanding of the past to help us create a better future
History that leads to Introspection & change
Storytelling that simplifies complex issues
Conversations that create meaningful & inspired action
Presentations and writings that connect head & heart
Unique personal experiences with lessons for today

Join Cleo on an interesting journey through time as she illuminates pitfalls and triumphs of the past. She teaches, inspires, and takes you to a place of greater understanding about work critical to the well-being of the country.

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Cleo is different…Different is good

Cleo Scott Brown’s gift is simplifying the complex.

Using history, storytelling, and personal experiences, Cleo’s thought-provoking presentations, keynotes, and writings connect heart and head, creating a transformational understanding of the complexities of race relations, voting, and social injustice. This understanding is essential to creating a better future.

Cleo is by no means typical.

Cleo’s breadth of personal experiences provide a depth of understanding and value you won’t find in many speakers—from cross-burnings and shootings while her parents were involved in a federal voting rights case, to Jim Crow, school and corporate integration, and HBCU experience. Her work experience includes corporate management and non-profit and education leadership plus over 20 years working with youth as a volunteer.

Cleo provides wisdom for today.

Her presentations and her books, “Witness to the Truth” (University of South Carolina Press) and “Raceology 101”, present history and personal stories, without bitterness or anger, filled with wisdom and answers to questions that plague America today.

Conversations • History-Based Presentations • Keynotes • Book Talks • Panels

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