Arizona State University: Award-Winning Artist And Activist Common To Deliver 2021 Centennial Lecture Presented By Barrett Honors College

Press release from Arizona State University:

October 28, 2021

Barrett, The Honors College, at Arizona State University has announced that award-winning artist and activist Common will be the speaker for the 2021 Flinn Foundation Centennial Lecture.

Titled “An Evening with Common,” the lecture, presented by Barrett Honors College, is scheduled for 7-8:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, in the Arizona Ballroom at the ASU Memorial Union on the Tempe campus.

Common, an artist, activist and actor, will deliver the 2021 Flinn Foundation Centennial Lecture on Nov. 15 at ASU. Photo by Greater Talent Network
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The event is free. Tickets are available here.

Common is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy and Grammy-winning artist, actor and activist.

He is the author of a memoir, “One Day It’ll Make Sense,” released in 2011, and another book, “Let Love Have the Last Word,” released in 2019, in which he shares his personal stories of the people and experiences that have led to a greater understanding of love and all it has to offer.

Throughout his career, he has used his art as a platform to change people’s perspectives, promote more diverse narratives and encourage people toward positive movement. As a speaker, Common motivates audiences to nurture the dreams of the young, overcome adversity and address the persistent hope that lives within us all.

Compassionate, mindful and driven to inspire, Common reminds audiences that we all have a voice and we must speak out.

Common has performed on critically acclaimed studio albums, including his 11th album, “Black America Again,” and has written music for films. He also has acted in many movies, including “The Kitchen,” “The Hate You Give,” “Selma, “John Wick: Chapter 2” and “Megan Leavey.”

He has worked behind the scenes on several productions, including as executive producer for the Netflix drama “Burning Sands” and Showtime’s hit TV series “The Chi.”

Common has dedicated countless hours and has been deeply engaged in social justice and advocacy work around mass incarceration, mental health and voting.

After the success and impact of his Imagine Justice concert in 2017 and his Hope & Redemption Tour to eight prisons, Common decided to establish and launch Imagine Justice as a nonprofit in 2018. Centered at the intersection of art and activism, Imagine Justice in dedicated to leveraging the power of art to advocate for communities around the country, to fight for justice and equality, and to stand united against injustice wherever it appears.

Find more information about the Nov. 15 lecture here.

This press release was produced by Arizona State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.