Ryan Coogler, the critically acclaimed director and screenwriter of the films Creed and Fruitvale Station, will deliver the annual George E. Kent Lecture at 7 p.m. on Feb. 9.
The Organization of Black Students at the University of Chicago will host the event, which is free and open to the public, at Mandel Hall.
Coogler will discuss black representation in mixed forms of media, specifically film and the importance of telling such stories. A moderated Q&A will follow his opening remarks.
Coogler was recently selected to direct Marvel’s Black Panther. His previous work includes Fruitvale Station, a biographical drama about the events leading to the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant by a police officer, and Creed, a continuation of the Rocky series.
The George E. Kent Lecture is an annual event honoring the former UChicago professor who taught in English Language & Literature from 1970 until his death in 1982. Each year, the Organization of Black Students brings a prominent member of the African American community to campus to speak on relevant social issues. Previous guests have included Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Michelle Alexander.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
