AWARD-WINNING SLAM POET AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE THEO WILSON AT UMD
MEDIA ALERT
Description: The first lecture in the “2017-18 Dean’s Lecture Series: Courageous Conversations, ARHU Resists Hate And Bias” features Theo Wilson, the award-winning slam poet and social justice advocate who skyrocketed to social media fame after posting beliefs about hate and bias. Wilson will discuss his experience as a black man who went undercover in alt-right social media communities.
Who: Theo Wilson is a founding member of the Denver Slam Nuba team, which won the National Poetry Slam in 2011. He is also the executive director of Shop Talk Live, an organization that hosts community dialogues in barbershops and beauty salons on issues affecting African-American communities. In 2015, Wilson went undercover online to better understand the ideologies and social-media algorithms that inform the alt-right.
What: Award-winning slam poet and social justice advocate Theo Wilson discusses his experience as a black man who went undercover in alt-right social media communities.
When: Wednesday, November 29, 2017, 5:30 PM
Where: Gildenhorn Recital Hall. Located at the base of the grand staircase off the main lobby of The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
3800 The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
8270 Alumni Drive
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-1625
Why: This event is the first lecture in the “2017-18 Dean’s Lecture Series: Courageous Conversations, ARHU Resists Hate And Bias.” Future lecturers include Bobby Seale, founding chairman and national organizer of the Black Panther Party, and Mara Liasson, NPR political correspondent. This year’s speakers consider what it means to engage in courageous conversations that speak to the difficult issues of hate and bias across personal, political and historical frames. Each lecture is an opportunity for the campus and the UMD community to join together for provocative conversations about resisting these issues.
How: The event is free but tickets are required. Members of the press should contact Nicky Everette, Director of Marketing and Communications, to RSVP.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Arts & Humanities Dean's Lecture Series provides an opportunity for the college faculty, students and staff to join together with colleagues across campus for stimulating conversation about issues that cross our disciplines. Lectures and performances may address either enduring or emerging questions central to the arts and humanities, or questions arising from other disciplines to which the arts and humanities might speak. In addition to presenting a major public event, each lecturer interacts in smaller settings with faculty, graduate students and/or undergraduates.
