February 8, 2005
Actor-activist to headline Purdue's Project Respect series
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – B.D. Wong, an acclaimed actor, author and activist, will present the autobiographical lecture "All the World's a Stage: From Exclusion to Inclusion" at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music.
The lecture, which is free and open to the public, represents the featured event of Project Respect, an annual series of events designed to increase awareness of racial and cultural diversity. This year's series is scheduled for Feb. 10-26 at various campus locations.
Project Respect, which was first organized in 2001, is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students and other Purdue organizations.
"B.D. Wong's retelling of his experiences as a young Asian-American striving to become a world-class artist fits well with the spirit of Project Respect," said Bridget Williams Golden, assistant dean of students. "Because it combines a serious message about cultural diversity and appreciation with humor as well as dramatic readings, his presentation is unique in that it spans many cultural areas."
Wong is perhaps best known as an actor, having appeared on television shows such as HBO's "Oz" and NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." He also has appeared in several movies, including "Jurassic Park," "Father of the Bride" and "Seven Years in Tibet," as well as in numerous stage productions.
Wong also is an accomplished author and an award-winning public speaker and activist.
He published his first book, the autobiographical "Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man," in 2003. He also has undertaken what he refers to as his "second career" as a public speaker and activist, speaking about diversity and racial awareness at high schools, colleges and educators' conferences around the country.
Wong has been honored for his activism by several diversity awareness and gay rights organizations, including the Chinese Performing Arts Foundation, the Asian Pacific Council and the Asian AIDS Project.
"Wong's sometimes bitter rise to fame in a notoriously fickle business has caused him to not only empower himself, but to be more public about the issues of racism and discrimination," Golden said. "While he does not necessarily consider himself an activist, in many ways he has become one through his actions."
Several other events are scheduled for Project Respect, beginning Thursday (Feb. 10). The complete schedule of events is as follows:
• Thursday. 7:30 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. "When 2 Worlds Collide!" Comedians Keith Wann and Peter Cook will present a lecture featuring sign language in an event coordinated by the Purdue American Sign Language Club. Admission is $8 for students with Purdue ID and $12 for the general public.
• Saturday. 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stewart Center, Room 311. Diversified Leadership Workshop. Keynote speaker Elaine Penn will speak about diversity and community cohesion in an event coordinated by the Office of the Dean of Students. Free and open to the public, and lunch will be provided.
• Feb. 15. 7 p.m. Lynn Hall of Veterinary Medicine, Room 1136. Racial Healing Workshop. Grace Campus Fellowship members will speak about healing racism from a spiritual perspective. The event is free and open to the public.
• Feb. 17. 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. "How Black Kin Eye Bee?" Dramatist jeff obafemi carr will present an interactive one-man play that explores what it means to be African-American in a changing world. The event is free and open to the public.
• Feb. 19. 6 p.m. International Center. Dinner Africana. A meal featuring African and Caribbean cuisine will be served. Traditional clothing, music and cultural artifacts from those regions also will be displayed. Admission is $5.
• Feb. 21-26. Purdue Memorial Union Lounges. Snapshots of Diversity. Pictures highlighting Purdue's diversity will be displayed. Free and open to the public.
• Feb. 23. 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Black Cultural Center Artist-in-Residence Showcase. Participating student artists present music, writing and theater performances featuring African-American themes. Free and open to the public.
• Feb. 24. 10 a.m. to noon. Stewart Center, Room 320. Hate and Bias Workshop. Purdue staff members Rob Mate and Diana Prieto will speak about the effects of hate and bias on a college campus. Free and open to the public.
• Feb. 24. 4 p.m. Stewart Center, rooms 302 and 306. Books & Coffee. Purdue English professor Venetria Patton will review the novel "The Known World," which was written by Edward Jones and won a Pulitzer Prize. The novel traces the imaginary history of a former slave who later becomes a slaveowner himself. Free and open to the public.
• Feb. 24. 7 p.m. Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education, Room 2280. "The Motorcycle Diaries." The Latino Cultural Center will present a viewing of the recent film, which was based on an autobiographical book of the same name by revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Free and open to the public.
• Feb. 26. 7 p.m. Purdue Memorial Union South Ballroom. My Big Fat Greek Wedding Reception. The Purdue Student Union Board will present a mock Greek wedding and reception, complete with traditional music and dancing. Advance tickets are available for free at the PSUB office in the Union, Room 268. Admission will be $3 at the door on the day of the event.
Among those Purdue organizations sponsoring Project Respect are the Office of the Dean of Students, Purdue Student Union Board, Black Cultural Center, Latino Cultural Center, Queer Student Union, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association, Purdue Cooperative Council, Affirmative Action Office, Women's Resource Office, Diversity Resource Office, Purdue Convocations, African-American Studies and Resource Center, University Residences, and Purdue Student Government.
Previous Project Respect speakers have included Anna Deavere Smith in 2004, Maya Angelou in 2003, Jane Elliott in 2002 and Judy Shepherd in 2001.
More information about Project Respect is available online.
Writer: Aaron Martin, (765) 496-3133, martinac@purdue.edu
Source: Bridget Williams Golden, (765) 494-1232, bwgolden@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Media are welcome at all Project Respect events. Please contact Bridget Williams Golden, assistant dean of students, at (765) 494-1232 to make arrangements. Editors: Spelling of jeff obafemi carr (all lowercase) is correct.
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