Athens, Ga. – Renowned author and poet Maya Angelou will headline a week of activities and entertainment during the University of Georgia’s annual Week of Soul celebration beginning on Feb. 4. The week’s events are sponsored by the University Union Student Programming Board’s Committee for Black Cultural Programs.
Angelou’s lecture will be held on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Tate Student Center. Advance tickets are $15 for the general public and $5 for students with valid UGACards who pay activity fees on the Athens campus. Day-of-event tickets are $20.
Angelou is a celebrated poet, novelist, educator, historian, filmmaker and civil rights activist. She is the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. She has served on two presidential committees and has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011), the National Medal of Arts (2000) and the Lincoln Medal (2008). Angelou has received three Grammy Awards and more than 30 honorary degrees.
Week of Soul begins on Feb. 4 with “Move and Groove Monday” from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Tate Student Center Plaza. The event will feature a “Soul Train” theme and include music, prize giveaways and free food for students.
Improv and skit comedy group FUNarios will perform on Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. in the Tate Theatre. The three-man group has developed a cult following through its online comedy videos. Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for UGA students.
Step Afrika!, the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping, will perform in the Grand Hall of the Tate Student Center on Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Founded in 1994, Step Afrika! is celebrated worldwide for its efforts to promote an appreciation for stepping and the dance tradition’s use as an educational tool for young people. The company is Washington, D.C.’s first and only cultural ambassador; it represents the city and nation at events around the world. Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for UGA students.
A showing of Spike Lee’s 1989 film “Do the Right Thing” will be held on Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. in the Tate Theatre. Tickets are $2 for the general public and free for UGA students.
Week of Soul concludes on Feb. 8 with a lecture by author and crisis manager Judy Smith at 8:30 p.m. in the Tate Theatre. Smith is the founder, president and CEO of the crisis management firm Smith & Company. Her career is the inspiration for the ABC television series “Scandal.”
Smith’s lecture is co-sponsored by UGA’s Office of Multicultural Services and Programs and the Black Affairs Council. Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for UGA students.
Event tickets are available at the Tate Student Center Cashier Window, open weekdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. A valid UGACard is required for acquisition of free student tickets.
For updates and more information about Week of Soul events, call 706/542-6396 or see http://union.uga.edu. The University Union Student Programming Board is a registered student organization within UGA’s Division of Student Affairs.
