Signature Gathering Will Focus on Justice, Opportunity and Hope
The PuLSE Institute, the Detroit-based national and independent anti-poverty and economic justice think tank today announced that Gary Torgow, Chairman of Huntington National Bank and one of America’s most respected business and civic leaders, will serve as Chairman of the 2026 Civil Rights Leadership Dinner, the organization’s premier annual gathering dedicated to advancing civil rights, economic justice, and democratic engagement.
The invitation-only dinner will take place on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Detroit Athletic Club in downtown Detroit and will convene distinguished leaders from business, philanthropy, education, government, labor, faith communities, and civil society.
The theme for this year’s event is: The Promise of America: Advancing Justice, Expanding Opportunity, Sustaining Hope.
“It is an honor to chair this year’s PuLSE Institute Civil Rights Leadership Dinner. The Institute’s founder and Chairman, Bankole Thompson has distinguished himself as a national spokesperson and advocate for civil rights and the cause of justice for all. We look forward to a very successful and purposeful PuLSE Institute event,” Torgow said.
Torgow’s selection as Dinner Chairman reflects both his extraordinary record of corporate leadership and his longstanding commitment to strengthening communities through service, philanthropy, and economic opportunity.
Torgow, a previous speaker at The PuLSE Institute’s conference, brings to this year’s dinner a reputation for integrity, humility, and civic-minded leadership. He has emerged as a leading voice for responsible corporate citizenship, helping shape a model of business leadership that recognizes the profound connection between economic prosperity and human flourishing. Under his leadership, Huntington has reinforced its commitment to community investment, neighborhood revitalization, small-business growth, and expanding pathways to opportunity.
“Gary Torgow embodies the kind of leadership our nation needs at this moment,” said Bankole Thompson, founder and Chairman of The PuLSE Institute. “He understands that leadership is ultimately a moral undertaking. His career reflects a steadfast commitment to the idea that institutions must serve people, that opportunity must be broadened, and that prosperity carries with it a responsibility to strengthen communities. Few leaders have done more to bridge the worlds of business, philanthropy, and civic engagement.”
Thompson added that Torgow’s leadership makes him uniquely suited to guide a gathering centered on America’s unfinished pursuit of justice and opportunity.
“As we reflect on the promise of America, we could think of no better leader to chair this important evening than Gary Torgow, a man whose life and work demonstrate that economic leadership and civic responsibility are not competing ideals but complementary obligations.”
Thompson, a nationally acclaimed Detroit journalist, author, and one of the country’s leading voices on economic justice, said the dinner comes at a time when questions of opportunity and inclusion have become inseparable from the future of democracy. His latest sixth book, HOPE: On The Mountain Of Fear, explores the role of hope as a civic and moral force in confronting inequality, division and uncertainty with a foreword written by Sister Simone Campbell, 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and the epilogue written by Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League.
“The promise of America has never been self-executing,” Thompson said. “Every generation is called upon to renew it. Justice requires courage. Opportunity requires intention. Hope requires action. The leaders we honor this year embody those obligations.”
Attorney Tina Patterson, President and General Counsel of The PuLSE Institute, said the dinner’s theme comes at a consequential time for the nation.
“The PuLSE Institute is honored to continue the legacy of our Civil Rights Dinner this year. We were incredibly fortunate to begin this seminal initiative in 2025 by honoring one of our original National Advisory Panel Members, the esteemed civil rights leader Dr. Bernard Lafayette, who suddenly passed earlier this year. The 2026 Dinner will hold special meaning as we continue honoring the legacy of Civil Rights that Dr. Lafayette embodied, while continuing to redefine what civil rights looks like in our modern era,” Patterson said. “This dinner also comes at a crucial time in our nation’s history as it celebrates its 250th Anniversary on July 4, which is also the 8th anniversary of The PuLSE Institute. As we remember the founding promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in America, The PuLSE Institute Civil Rights Dinner stands as a testament to bring those promises and the self-evident truth of equality to those who have been excluded in these universal values.”
The 2026 Civil Rights Leadership Dinner will honor national and local leaders whose contributions have strengthened civil rights, economic empowerment, community development, and public service.
Last year’s dinner Chairman was Jerry Norcia, the Executive Chairman of DTE Energy and the Dinner recognized legendary civil rights leader, Rev. Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr., whose lifetime of service helped shape the modern Civil Rights Movement as architect of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and as a close and trusted associate of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s honorees will continue that tradition by celebrating leaders whose work is expanding opportunity and creating positive change in communities across America.
The Civil Rights Leadership Dinner serves as a forum for recognizing transformative leadership while elevating conversations about democracy, economic justice, equity, and the future of the nation.
Additional information regarding this year’s honorees will be announced in the days and weeks.
