W. Kamau Bell, host of Emmy Award winning docu-series, United Shades of America on CNN, will be talking with Meesha Poore, West Virginia University’s vice president and chief diversity officer at 7 p.m. today via Zoom, as part of the university’s Hardesty Festival of Ideas Lecture Series.
Bell, who is based in the San Francisco area, is a stand-up comedian known for his political comedy. He is also the author of The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6’4”, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blend, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian.
The Zoom link will go live 30 minutes before the show begins. Around 1,000 people are expected to tune in.
“Incidentally, this is part of Diversity Week so this event is co-sponsored by the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Questions are encouraged to be submitted ahead of time to festivalofideas@mail.wvu.edu,” said Lisa Martin, Special Events Coordinator Senior, University Events, Office of the President.
On Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. Poore will give the university’s State of Diversity address. The week-long celebration wraps up Friday with Black Lives Matter & Activism for a Just World.
The Hardesty Festival of Ideas, originally scheduled for March but cancelled because of COVID-19, brings together news makers, campus leaders and public figures, to talk about issues of the day. The series dates back to 1995 and was started by former WVU President David Hardesty Jr.
The virtual lecture series kicked off earlier this month with Peter Harvey, past Attorney General of New Jersey and a former federal prosecutor. On Oct. 21, Chris Herren, a former professional basketball player and advocate for the prevention of substance abuse, and rounding out the series is an Oct. 28 talk by Clemantine Wamariya, author of The Girl Who Smiled Beads.
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