Civil rights activist Maya Angelou to speak at Penn

Author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou will be the keynote speaker for Women's Week, an annual collection of events celebrating women and their accomplishments organized by the Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women.

Angelou will speak in Irvine Auditorium on the evening of the 17th. Exact times have not yet been determined.

"She appeals to a lot of different types of people at Penn," said PCUW co-chair and College senior Abby Dosoretz.

Angelou will do more than simply draw a diverse crowd. Groups all over campus that don't traditionally support Women's Week events are getting involved, Dosoretz said, adding that support has come in a varying forms, like ushering services or monetary donations.

Sponsors include the Penn Women's Center, the English and Women's Studies departments and a number of fraternities, sororities and minority groups. The list of sponsors is still growing, said PCUW Women's Week Speaker chairwoman and College junior Natalie Vernon.

"Maya is a fantastic writer and a legendary activist," said Jennifer Jackson, the program coordinator at PWC, pointing to Angelou's background in civil rights and human rights as well as her literary reputation.

"We see her as a really strong woman from a really diverse background," said PCUW co-chair Brooke Boyarsky. "This is a black woman who has really paved the way for this new generation."

Vernon said she expects Angelou's speech to be "uplifting" and a "poetic response to what's going on in the world."

Each year, members of PCUW decide on a keynote speaker for Women's Week. Last year's address was given by activist and professor Angela Davis.

Tickets will be sold for the event, but PCUW has not yet determined a price.

Other events for Women's Week, which will be February 9-17, include performances of Eve Ensler's play The Vagina Monologues, panel discussions by various organizations and other events put on by PCUW's constituent groups.

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