| Birth Name: | Joseph E. Marshall, Jr. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Educator, civil rights activist, author, broadcaster |
| Alma Mater: | University of San Francisco, San Francisco State University, Wright Institute |
| Website: | http://www.stayaliveandfree.org |
| Known For: | Co-founder Omega Boys Club, Street Soldiers radio show host, violence prevention |
Joseph Earl Marshall, Jr. (born 1947) is an American author, lecturer, radio talk show host, and community activist.
Marshall grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and the South Central part of Los Angeles, California.[1] [2] He graduated from Loyola High School of Los Angeles, the University of San Francisco with a BA in political science and sociology (1968),[3] [4] San Francisco State University in 1974 with an M.A. in Education,[5] and the Wright Institute with a Ph.D. in Psychology.[6] Marshall became a teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School of San Francisco in 1969 after getting his B.A.[2] In 1994, Marshall left his teaching job to become an anti-violence activist.[5]
San Francisco urban contemporary station KMEL hired Marshall to host the Sunday night talk show Street Soldiers after local rapper MC Hammer hosted the November 1991 debut show.[7] The show continues to air every Sunday night from 8-10pm PST and focuses on discussing critical issues and events affecting the African American community and its youth.
He is the founder of 501c(3) non-profit organization Alive & Free, the mission of which is to keep young people alive and free, unharmed by violence and free from incarceration. Alive & Free operates under the principles of treating violence like a disease. Like any disease, there are specific risk factors, symptoms, and a prescription for healing or prevention. Marshall also founded the Street Soldiers National Consortium, a group of activists dedicated to preventing violence nationwide.