Elders Headlines Distinguished Lecture Series

M. Joycelyn Elders, pediatric endocrinologist and former U.S. surgeon general, will address “Health Care in the 21st Century” Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m., in the Wisconsin Union Theater as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Directorate, the Distinguished Lecture Series is a program designed to promote out-of-classroom learning by bringing prominent speakers to campus.

Free tickets for Elders’ lecture will be available Thursday, Sept. 18 at the theater box office for UW students, faculty and staff or Union members. Due to high demand, tickets are limited to one per person. Free tickets for the general public will be available Monday, Sept. 22 at the theater box office. Box office hours are 11:30 a.m. -5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturdays, noon-5 p.m.

Elders became the first African American surgeon general in 1993. Her mission was to protect the health of citizens through prevention. Controversial views on drugs and sex education caused her to resign her post in 1994. She currently works at the University of Arkansas Medical School.

Other lectures planned for the series include:

• “An Evening with Bobby Seale,” co-founder and former chairman of the Black Panther Party, Nov. 10. Seale was a key figure during the “Power to the People” revolution and is currently the director of R.E.A.C.H.!, an organization striving to teach young people how to effectively organize within the community.
• Novelist Kurt Vonnegut will give a lecture, “How to Get a Job Like Mine,” Dec. 2. Vonnegut is author of 18 books and dozens of short stories including Slaughterhouse Five and Cat’s Cradle.
• Award-winning poet, journalist and critic Luis Rodriguez will discuss his memoir in a lecture, “Always Running and Social Activism with Street Gangs,” Feb. 10. Rodriguez overcame the ghetto culture of Los Angeles to become a street-gang mediator through his Increase the Peace Network.
• On Feb. 17, Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition, will address “Values and Politics.” Under Reed, the coalition has grown to 2,000 local chapters with 2 million members and supporters.
• Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women, will discuss “Feminism and Activism: Moving Into the 21st Century” April 14. Ireland was recently re-elected president of NOW, a position she has held since 1991.

For ticket information on future lectures, call the Union Theater box office at 262-2201.