News Releases

January 13, 2015
For additional information: 
Chato Hazelbaker
Chief Communications Officer
Telephone:  360-992-2921
Email:  chazelbaker@clark.edu

Diversity expert and spoken-word artist Aaron Reader delivers keynote address on Jan. 21

VANCOUVER, Wash.– Clark College will honor the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Wednesday, January 21, with “#socialjustice,” a spoken-word performance by noted poet and diversity trainer Aaron Reader. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Gaiser Student Center on Clark’s main campus from noon to 1:00 p.m.

Reader’s performance will include themes of race, masculinity, oppression, and the positive possibilities for change. After his performance he will conduct a brief question-and-answer session.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building (PUB) room 013, as soon as possible.

For more information about this event, visit http://www.clark.edu/campus-life/arts-events/mlk/.

About Aaron Reader

Aaron Reader was born and raised in Oakland, California. Growing up in the inner city came with many ups and downs as well as triumphs. Reader has been able to draw from these experiences and bring them to life through spoken word. For the past 10 years Reader has been directly involved with work related to social justice and equity.

“As I experience the world ... many people, opportunities and situations cross my path,” he says. “I capture those moments with a mental camera in real time and share them with the world.”

Reader has performed at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall and opened for well-known poets such as Def Poetry Jam artists Black Ice, Tasha Jones and Laura Piece Kelley. He is also a motivational speaker and facilitator who has facilitated workshops across the Pacific Northwest on Identity Development, Masculinity, and Creative Writing and an emphasis on Social Justice.

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