The GRCC Woodrick Diversity Learning Center is sponsoring the 28th Diversity Lecture Series, a series of speakers that will address multicultural issues and promote a deeper cultural understanding.
Author, historian and music critic Jeff Chang will speak Wednesday. Chang is the Executive Director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University, and his book, “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation,” educates readers about cultural history. He is also the author of “Who We Be: The Colorization of America.” In this book, Chang explains the factors in the rise of multiculturalism and the way it has commercialized.
Kambri Crews, speaking Oct. 24, is an author, comedic storyteller and producer. As a child she lived with her deaf parents in a tin shed. Now she runs her own PR and production company in New York City and is the author of Burn Down the Ground, a memoir. Her philosophy “Life’s Tough, Laugh More” is the guiding force behind her comedic storytelling. Crews is a co-producer of the ECNY Awards. She has also produced shows featuring comedians and writers from The Daily Show, The Onion and Saturday Night Live.
Douglas Rushkoff, a globally recognized author, graphic novelist and media and technology theorist, is scheduled to speak Nov. 13. He has written 12 books and is a CNN commentator. Rushkoff specializes in new media and internet culture and speaks about how interactive communications influences peoples’ values. He is especially known for his connection to early cyberpunk culture.
Sports writer, journalist and commentator LZ Granderson will be discussing topics such as homosexuality, the N-word in the black community and reverse racism on Feb. 13. He has connections to Outside the Lines, First Take, ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com. Granderson is a former Detroit gang member who sought an education and became a Hechinger Fellow at Columbia University. The journalism of the Hechinger Institute has gone on to be published in newspapers and journals such as The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Time magazine. Granderson also writes for CNN.com and previously worked as a sports columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Grand Rapids Press.
The final speaker will be author and lecturer Susan Cain on March 13. Her book, “Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” discusses how society caters more to extroverts, even though many introverts have made dramatic impacts on society. Some of her examples are the inventors of the personal computer and the leadership of Gandhi. Cain’s message is that the typical bias against introverts is not only unfair, it also wastes possible talent of those people who are undervalued or overlooked.
Each of the lectures will be held at Fountain Street Church at 7 p.m. Admission is free and parking is $3 with a discount pass. The lectures will be American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted, and there will be book signings following each lecture.
