What: The 15th Annual Equity and Diversity Conference at the University of North Texas. Marc Lamont Hill, distinguished professor of African American studies at Atlanta's Morehouse College and a correspondent
for BET News, will give the keynote address.
When: 1:15 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 (Tuesday). Participants may also attend the lecture by actress Laverne Cox, a transgender advocate, which begins at 7 p.m. as part of UNT's Fine Arts Series. Tickets to the lecture are free to conference participants.
Where: UNT's Gateway Center, 801 North Texas Blvd. The lecture by Laverne Cox will be at the Super Pit Coliseum, 600 Ave. D.
Cost: $75 for general registration, $50 for UNT alumni and faculty and staff members and $25 for students at other colleges and universities. UNT students will attend for free, but must register in advance. Registration available online through Feb. 20 (Friday).
Contact: UNT Division of Equity and Diversity at 940-565-3424
DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Award-winning journalist Marc Lamont Hill, a correspondent for BET News and a host for the live-streaming network HuffPost Live, will give the keynote address at the 15th Annual Equity and Diversity Conference at the University of North Texas Feb. 24 (Tuesday).
Aimed at students, educators and professionals who are committed to equity and diversity in higher education, the conference will take place from 1:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at UNT's Gateway Center, which is located at 801 North Texas Blvd. Those who attend will attend three different workshops held at 2:45 p.m., 3:50 p.m. and 4:55 p.m., choosing from among four topics each time. Workshop topics include veterans returning to educational institutions and workplaces; Muslims' voices in U.S. public schools; early education for bilingual children; and partner violence within LGBT communities.
Hill will give his keynote address at 1:35 p.m. Named by Ebony Magazine as one of America's 100 most influential African American leaders in 2011, Hill has worked as a political commentator for CNN as well as for BET News and HuffPost Live, and is a former political contributor to Fox News Channel and former host of the nationally syndicated television show "Our World With Black Enterprise."
As a social justice activist and organizer, Hill is a founding board member of My5th, a nonprofit organization that educates youth about their rights and responsibilities. He is a board member and organizer of the Philadelphia Student Union, which runs citywide campaigns to improve school district policies and practices. Hill also works with the ACLU Drug Reform Project and with campaigns to end the death penalty and to release numerous political prisoners.
Currently a distinguished professor of African American studies at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Hill has also taught at Columbia University and Temple University in Philadelphia. He is the author of "Beats, Rhymes and Classroom Life: Hip-Hop Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity;" "The Classroom and the Cell: Conversations on Black Life in America" and "The Barbershop Notebooks: Reflections on Culture, Politics and Education." He is currently completing two manuscripts.
The Equity and Diversity Conference will close with a reception from 5:45-6:30 p.m. that will also include a display of art from students and student performances.
Those who register for the conference will also receive a free ticket to attend the 7 p.m. lecture by Laverne Cox, an actress in the Netflix series "Orange is the New Black" and a transgender advocate. Cox is speaking at UNT as part of the Fine Arts Series for Spring 2015. During her lecture, part of an ongoing series titled "Ain't I a Woman: My Journey to Womanhood," Cox will discuss how race, class and gender shaped her experience as a transgender woman. The lecture will be in UNT's Super Pit Coliseum, 600 Ave. D.
Registration for the conference is free for UNT students; $25 for students at other colleges and universities; $50 for UNT alumni, faculty and staff members; and $75 for others. Registration is available online through Feb. 20 (Friday) at the UNT Division of Equity and Diversity website.
For more information, call the division at 940-565-3424