Author and Filmmaker M.K. Asante Jr. to Lecture at Cal Poly Jan. 15

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly’s Multicultural Center will kick off Black History Month with a lecture by award-winning author and filmmaker M.K. Asante Jr.

Asante’s free and public talk, "I Am Because We Are: Dr. King, Our Generation and the Next Movement," will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 7 to 9 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Pavilion.

Described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as "a rare, remarkable talent that brings to mind the great artists of the Harlem Renaissance," 25 year old Asante is a college professor and writer/producer of the internationally acclaimed film “500 Years Later.”

Asante is also the author of several books, including “Like Water Running Off My Back,” winner of the American Poets Jean Corrie Prize, and “Beautiful, And Ugly Too.” He has also written for USA Today, Tampa Tribune, Black Arts Quarterly, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others.

Born in Zimbabwe and raised in Philadelphia, Asante has lectured in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and at more than 50 colleges and universities in the United States including Howard University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, and Cornell University. In addition, Asante has appeared as a guest on numerous international TV and radio programs.

For more information, contact Brenton Smith, student coordinator, at 805-756-1405 or mcc@calpoly.edu.