“The Power of Story and the Danger of Absence” is the theme of the 2023 Bonner and Bonner Diversity Lecture: Civic Leadership for the Common Good. The event on Thursday, March 2 features Dr. Ferial Pearson, an assistant professor of teacher education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Pearson — aka Mama Beast — is a mother, activist, author, educator, speaker, poet, comedienne, cook, sourdough artist, and citizen of the world. She founded the Secret Kindness Agents Project, which has been featured at Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, Hallmark, Parents Magazine, Learning for Justice website and magazine, Midwest Living magazine, and more.
She has received national and local awards for her work in education and social justice, has written two books, and has been featured as a speaker on the TEDx Omaha stage.
Pearson will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, in Albert Taylor Hall inside Plumb Hall. Following the presentation will be a reception in Plumb Hall Rotunda. The lecture is free and open to the public. Unlike previous years, tickets are not required to attend.
The Bonner and Bonner Diversity Lecture Series was established in 1992 by Drs. Thomas and Mary Bonner, ESU’s first and second African American faculty members. In 2015 the Honors College, with its focus on civic leadership for the common good, assumed the responsibility of sponsoring and organizing this landmark annual event.
The 2023 event is sponsored by the ESU Honors College; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and University Libraries and Archives.