Activist, author Sekou to speak at MU about faith in the age of Ferguson

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – Manchester University welcomes the Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou to discuss faith and the future of American democracy on Tuesday, April 26.

This free Peace Week presentation, “Faith in the age of Ferguson: #BlackLivesMatter, nonviolence, and the future of American democracy,” will be offered at 3:30 p.m.in Cordier Auditorium at the North Manchester campus. It is open to the public.

This discussion, based on his book, Gods, Gays, and Guns, will examine gay marriage, economic justice and social movements in today’s society. Sekou will aim to lead the audience through a spiritual journey to study the role of religion in a global democracy. 

Rev. Sekou is a prominent activist, author, documentary filmmaker and theologian who has helped train thousands in nonviolent civil disobedience, and he has been a central figure in the mobilizations in Ferguson, Mo., over the past year.

He is currently the inaugural Bayard Rustin Fellow for the Fellowship of Reconciliation, one of the oldest and most storied peace and nonviolence organizations in the nation.

This presentation is sponsored by the Paul A. and Rachel Hartsough Phillips Endowment Fund. It is part of the Values, Ideas, and the Arts series, which offers cultural exposure and intellectual enrichment for students.

His band, Rev. Sekou & the Holy Ghost, is performing 8 p.m. that evening in Wampler Auditorium at the Administration Building, 604 E. College Ave., North Manchester.

Manchester University, with campuses in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, is one of six colleges across the nation grounded in the values and traditions of the Church of the Brethren. The University offers more than 60 areas of academic study to 1,500 students in undergraduate programs, a Master of Science in Pharmacogenomics, Master of Athletic Training and a four-year professional Doctor of Pharmacy.  Learn more about the private, northern Indiana school at www.manchester.edu.

Contact: Phillip Keim
MU Peace Studies Coordinator
pckeim@manchester.edu

April 2016

Prepared by student Lauren Hughes, MU strategic communications assistant.