Griot of Grand Rapids: Cultural Community Hub

Professor Gertrude G. Croom is a Civil Rights activist, educator, and speaker who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a teenager in Birmingham, Alabama. With 40+ years of educational excellence, she needed a digital platform that would honor her legacy, share her story with new audiences, and make it easy for universities, faith communities, and corporate event organizers to book her for speaking engagements.

I built an elegant, culturally rich WordPress platform using Elementor and SEMrush, designed to feel like a living archive rather than a standard personal website. The site needed to convey gravitas and warmth in equal measure.

Key elements of the build:

Storytelling-first homepage that introduces Professor Croom through her roles (Advocate, Educator, Speaker, Storyteller) with a compelling hero section and biography excerpts

Speaking engagement booking system with a dedicated page and prominent CTAs throughout the site, making it frictionless for event organizers to reach out

Image gallery organized by category (Professional, Family) to give visitors a visual journey through her life of service

Video integration allowing visitors to hear directly from Professor Croom, adding authenticity that text alone can't deliver

Event-type sections clearly outlining who she speaks to: higher education, faith communities, organizations, and corporate events

SEO-optimized architecture built with SEMrush to help the site rank for civil rights speaker and educational engagement searches

The finished platform gives Professor Croom a digital presence that matches the weight of her story. Event organizers can quickly understand her background, watch her speak, browse her gallery, and book an engagement without friction. The site positions her as what she is: a living voice of history.