KNOXVILLE — Steve Perry, CNN correspondent and principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Conn., will visit the UT Knoxville campus on Monday, March 29, as part of the Black Cultural Programming Committee’s Young Black Professional Series.
Perry will speak on what it means to be black in America today. The event, which takes place at 7 p.m. in the University Center Auditorium, is free and open to the public.
The Young Black Professional Series highlights accomplished African-Americans who have made significant strides toward improving society. Perry became a correspondent for CNN after being featured in the network’s “Black in America” series for his work at Capital Preparatory Magnet School. Perry founded the public school six years ago as a way to serve low-income high school students with college aspirations. The school has maintained a 100 percent college acceptance rate since its inception.
Perry grew up in a housing project in Middletown, Conn., and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science for the University of Rhode Island, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in education from the University of Hartford.
The event is sponsored by the Black Cultural Programming Committee within the Office of Minority Student Affairs. Founded in 1979, the committee aims to develop programs and activities that enhance public awareness of African-Americans and their accomplishments, encourage the interaction and unity of African-American students, provide opportunities for African-American students to be actively involved in the academic and local communities and serve as a catalyst to motivate African-American students’ self-development, discovery and esteem during their educational careers at the university.
For more information or disability accommodations, contact the Office of Minority Student Affairs at 865-974-6861.
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C O N T A C T :
Rebekah Winkler (865-974-8304, rwinkler@utk.edu)