Skip to Quicklinks
Skip to Quicklinks

 

| More


2010-11 Distinguished speaker series

This 2010-11 series is presented by Student Involvement and Leadership to enhance the cultural and political make-up of the University and surrounding community. The series will be held in the Givens Performing Arts Center. Seating is free and open to all faculty, staff, students, and the general public.
All dates and artists subject to change due to availability.

For more information, please contact the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership at 910.521.6482.

Erin Gruwell

Erin Gruwell
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
7:30 pm

Nothing could have prepared Erin Gruwell for her first day teaching at Long Beach High School. Many of her students from this tough, racially divided school were deemed “unteachable,” and written off by the education system. Shaken, but undeterred, Gruwell leveraged the power of education to deliver an academic miracle.

Finding her classroom a safe haven, the Freedom Writers transcribed their stories on paper, transforming their lives one word at a time. Through Gruwell’s efforts, these stories were published in the book Freedom Writer’s Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. Her enthusiasm and fierce determination galvanized her class, and eventually all 150 of her students went on to graduate from high school and attend college.

Now, Gruwell's story has made it to the big screen, as she is portrayed by Academy Award winner Hilary Swank in Paramount Picture’s new feature film, Freedom Writers. “In the beginning I was pretty naïve and did not know a lot about at-risk teens. I knew I could see past color and culture, but I did not know how to get to the hearts of these young people. So I gave them a pen and told them to share their experiences through the art of writing. Through writing, my students discovered tolerance and respect for one another.”

Adam Beach

Adam Beach
Monday, November 29, 2010
7:30pm

Adam Beach is a Canadian-born actor whose illustrious career continues to traverse screens both small and large. He will next be seen heavily recurring in BIG LOVE‘s fourth season on HBO. Adam received a Golden Globe nomination for his turn as Charles Eastman in the HBO film adaptation of the world renowned book BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE. His performance led to a series regular role on “Law & Order: SVU” playing the role of Ice-T’s partner, Chester Lake.
                       
Beach is a member of the Ojibwa Nation and his work is strongly rooted in his Native heritage, bringing a unique and diverse perspective to his craft. His commitment to his spiritual development through traditional grass dancing enhances his work.

Adam may today be best known for his portrayal of Victor Joseph in “Smoke Signals,” which won the Filmmaker's Trophy Award and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Adam’s first brush with fame occurred in his follow up, starring opposite Nicolas Cage in John Woo‘s “Windtalkers,” the story of the Navajo Code Talkers, who spoke their language as a code during World War II.

Adam is also known for his work in the CBS mini-series “Comanche Moon,” he played Blue Duck opposite a star-studded cast including Val Kilmer and Steve Zahn. On the big screen, Adam received much critical acclaim for his powerful starring turn as Ira Hayes, in “FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS” directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Paul Haggis, and produced by Stephen Spielberg.

Judy Shepard

Judy Shepard
Monday, February 21, 2011
7:30pm

On October 8, 1998, Judy and Dennis Shepard were awakened in the middle of the night by a telephone call no parent should ever have to receive. What they heard changed their lives forever. Their eldest son, Matthew, was in a coma after having been brutally attacked—because he was gay. On October 12, Matthew passed away. The tragedy quickly spurred a spontaneous, unprecedented public outcry from coast to coast.

Judy and Dennis Shepard started the Matthew Shepard Foundation (www.matthewshepard.org) to help carry on Matthew’s legacy by embracing the just causes their son had championed. This includes working for gay and lesbian equality, and helping to prevent hate crimes. The play, and subsequent critically-acclaimed HBO movie, The Laramie Project, was written about Matthew and is performed frequently to draw attention to gay rights and the ending of hate crimes.

On May 11, 1999, Shepard testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. In front of the committee, she delivered a powerful message to those who oppose hate crimes laws: “I can assure opponents of this legislation firsthand, it was not words or thoughts, but violent actions that killed my son.” She is also actively involved with Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

HILL HARPER

HILL HARPER
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
7:30pm

Hill Harper boasts a resume in mainstream and independent films, national television, and in literary circles. Currently one of the stars of CSI: NY, he is also a successful author, completing his second book in a series, Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny. Harper provides the frequently regarded “lost generation” with words of encouragement and guidance.
In his first of the series, Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest your Destiny, Harper shares the humbling life lessons he learned on the road to his Ivy League education and beyond. It is a motivational, but approachable book full of encouragement on a wide array of topics geared towards young African-American and Hispanic men. 
Revolutionary in how he deals with adolescent issues that no other writer has dared to penetrate, Harper won both NAACP Image Awards that he was nominated for in March 2007, Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author, and Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens.
Harper’s first breakthrough occurred on Married with Children, and in his film debut, Confessions of a Dog. In Spike Lee’s Get on the Bus, he performed his first substantial role as a college student riding a bus during the Million Man March. From this point, Harper landed roles in He Got Game and Have Plenty. He showed his versatility as an actor when he took a break from mainstream production and starred in independent films Box Marley, Loving Jezebel and The Skulls. His recent independent film Love, Sex and Eating the Bones, was accepted into the Toronto International, Palm Springs, and Pan African film festivals and won “Best Canadian First Feature Film.” His two newest leading roles are in the 2007 movies Shanghai Hotel and This is Not a Test.

For more information, please contact the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership at 910.521.6482.

Updated: Thursday, July 7, 2011

 
Loading

© The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
PO Box 1510 Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 • 910.521.6000