atrice Gaines has been many places, and on Monday she’ll add Western to her list.

Gaines, an award-winning journalist, will be the featured speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Convocation at 11 a.m. Monday at Van Meter Hall.

The event is free.

Gaines worked as a reporter at the Washington Post for 16 years and has written two books, including an autobiography of her life, titled Laughing in the Dark: From Colored Girl to Woman of Color – A Journey From Prison to Power.

As a motivational speaker, Gaines knows why Martin Luther King Jr. Day is important.

“Martin Luther King changed this country forever,” she said. “Not one person in recent history has so profoundly changed the way we live in America.”

Gaines finds inspiration from King’s life.

“Like any of us, he made mistakes and had fears,” she said. “But what separated him from many is that he stepped out on faith and had the courage to lead, regardless of his fears.”

Gaines’ own life has been a series of ups and downs. She was arrested at the age of 21 for shoplifting and possession of drugs in June 1970, and has survived beatings by both a boyfriend and a husband.

But through all of this, she took night classes at a community college, including a creative writing course. It was here where she found her true calling: journalism.

“I wanted to write something to help save young women by using my own life to, hopefully, stop them from making the same mistakes,” Gaines said.

Eight years after she was arrested, Gaines was selected for a national journalism education program and became a newspaper reporter. She won numerous awards for her work at the Washington Post.

She said that the most important lesson she learned during her time at the Post was simply that people who are suffering wanted to talk and are comforted by having someone to talk to.

For example, she mentions both a woman whose daughter was shot by a boyfriend and a boy whose brother was killed in a car accident who talked to her willingly.

“At some other time, some of them would have ignored me or not talked to a reporter, but in their anguish they let down all barriers,” she said.

She also grew personally in her time working at the Post.

“The most important lessons I learned were about myself – that I was most capable than I ever knew,” she said. “I suffered from low self-esteem so it was wonderful that I had a chance to learn that I was skillful and smart.”

Through her work at the Post, Gaines soon became interested in judicial issues, and she investigated a 1985 murder case for six years.

During her investigation, she found evidence that led the eight men who were involved to be considered for a new trial.

All of this caused Gaines to work on changing the U. S. judicial system and prison industry.

“We need to have alternative programs that really make people take responsibility for their crimes while preparing them to live differently,” she said. “Not everyone needs to be locked up for years.”

Gaines also works as an advocate for women, focusing on those who have been incarcerated. She plans to open The Brown Angel Retreat Center near Charlotte, N.C., to help women become “mentally, spiritually and financially healthy,” according to her her Web site, www. patricegaines.com.

Gaines has been a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show and has been a commentator on National Public Radio.

She has been featured in Essence magazine, as well as on a segment on Dateline. When asked what her most memorable event has been, Gaines has the same reaction that most people would.

“Does being on the Oprah Winfrey Show count?” she asked, adding that she has been on stage with Danny Glover and Susan Sarandon.

Along with speaking to colleges, prisons and drug rehabilitation centers, Gaines does some freelance journalism and teaches writing.

Gaines will share her experiences when she speaks at Van Meter after the Unity March, and she is excited to have an audience of college students.

“I am honored to offer my thoughts to college students and to be available to answer their questions,” she said. “I know that college students represent some of the people who will run this country one day.”

Cecilia Crutcher, a senior from Madison, Tenn., is planning on attending the event.

“She seems like an interesting person and I am looking forward to hearing her speak,” she said.

Reach Emily Salmon at features@wkuherald.com