St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Black Student Union announces MK Asante as the third Annual Elizabeth Barber Walker Lecture guest speaker. Asante’s lecture will take place on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 4:30 p.m. in the Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall on the College’s campus. The event is free of charge and open to the public.
Asante is a best-selling author, award-winning filmmaker, recording artist, and distinguished professor who the Los Angeles Times calls “One of America’s best storytellers.” He is the author of “Buck: A Memoir,” praised by Maya Angelou as “A story of surviving and thriving with passion, compassion, wit, and style.” The book is a multi-year Washington Post bestseller and the recipient of numerous literary awards. “Buck” is currently being adapted into a major motion picture.
Asante studied at the University of London, earned a bachelor of arts from Lafayette College, and an M.F.A. from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. He is the host and co-executive producer of “While Black,” a Snap original docu-series produced by NBCUniversal, Indigo Development and Entertainment Arts, and Main Event Media. Asante has been featured on CNN, NPR, “The Breakfast Club,” VH1, and MTV. His essays have been published in the New York Times and USA Today. His inspirational story “The Blank Page” is featured in the #1 New York Times best-seller, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: 20th Anniversary Edition.”
Asante has lectured at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, as well as hundreds of other universities. He has toured in over 50 countries and was awarded the Key to the City of Dallas, Texas. He is featured in “A Changing America,” a permanent video exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. He is the founder of Wonderful Sound Studios and a recording artist, most recently featured on the album “Indie 500” by Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder & Talib Kweli. Asante is a distinguished professor at the MICA Business School in India and a tenured professor of English and film at Morgan State University.
The Elizabeth Barber Walker Lecture Series honors St. Mary’s College’s first Black graduate, Liz Walker. The Inaugural Elizabeth Barber Walker Lecture Series featured guest speaker April Ryan in 2018. Brittany Packnett was the 2019 guest speaker.
