Actor Ashong to Speak at UMaine
Contact: Kyle Webster, UMaine Student Government at (207) 581-1787
ORONO — Actor and activist Derrick Ashong will present a lecture entitled “Killing Cool: Igniting the Soul of Society” in 114 Little Hall at the University of Maine on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. The lecture is presented by the Guest Lecture Series, a subdivision of Student Government. It is free and open to the public.
Ashong is best known for playing the role of Buakei in Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed film “Amistad.” He is a graduate of Harvard University and former president of the Harvard Black Student Union. He was born in Ghana in 1975 and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. and Saudi Arabia.
He now travels the nation talking on a variety of topics surrounding racial stereotyping and empowerment of youth. The lecture Ashong will present at UMaine focuses on the concept of “being cool” and how this plays into actual success. He advocates being true to oneself over following the crowd, noting that those who are successful are those who don’t play into the norm.
Prior to his lecture, Ashong will be meeting with students in the Bangor Lounge at 4 p.m. to discuss his views on racial prejudice. This is also free and open to the public.
The Guest Lecture Series (GLS) is a part of Student Entertainment, which is a sub-committee of UMaine Student Government, Inc. The primary goal and purpose of GLS is to bring educated experts on various topics from around the world to the University of Maine for free lectures that are open and available to all students.