African American Lecture Series

African American Lecture Series – A Brief History

The African American Lecture Series has featured such distinguished African American writers, artists and public intellectuals as James McBride, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Tavis Smiley, Angela Davis, Dr. Cornel West, Harry Belafonte, LeVar Burton, Anita Hill, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Angela Rye, and Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. The series' mission is to not only promote African American history, but also to educate and engage the Texas Tech University community and broader public about the contributions regarding the indelible impact African Americans have made on American society and indeed the world.

About Kevin Richardson

Kevin Richardson was as a member of the group known as “The Central Park Five”, five Black teenagers who were arrested as suspects in the brutal attack of jogger in New York City's Central Park in 1989. Richardson was charged and sentenced to serve five to ten years in jail. After serving seven years for a crime he did not commit, Richardson was put on three years of probation, had to register as a sex offender, and was released from prison. In 2002, the convictions for the five men were overturned, and the City of New York agreed to pay them restitution for the time they spent wrongfully incarcerated. The 2019 Netflix series, “When They See Us”, chronicled the journey of Richardson and the other four. Richardson is now a strong advocate for the reformation of the criminal justice system and works tirelessly with The Innocence Project.

Event Information

This event is free and open the public. The in-person event will be held in the TTU Law School Lanier Auditorium on the Texas Tech campus. No ticket is required.

The event will also be available via Zoom Webinar. Click here to register for the virtual option.

Past Events

Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Address

Doak Hall, Office 101, P.O. Box 45065 Lubbock, Texas, 79409-5024
Phone
806-742-8681
Email
diversity@ttu.edu

African American Lecture Series