EVENT: Activist, Author, Artist Sister Souljah to Speak at University

Sister Souljah, a political activist, rap artist, and author, will speak at the University of Rochester at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, in Strong Auditorium on the University of Rochester's River Campus. Appearing during Women's History Month, she will speak about "Inspiring Women in the 21st Century."

Admission, payable at the door, will be $5 for the general public and free for University of Rochester undergraduates.

Souljah is the executive director of Daddy's House Social Programs Inc., a not-for-profit corporation funded by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Bad Boy Entertainment that is devoted to urban youth.

As an artist, she produced her album, 360 Degrees of Power, in March 1992. In 1995, Souljah published her first book, No Disrespect, and followed it four years later with her second book, The Coldest Winter Ever, a novel depicting New York City street life.

Despite difficulties early in life, Souljah pursued her interest in politics and government while she was in high school. During her high school years she was an intern for the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, a winner of the American Legion's Constitutional Oratory Contest, and a scholar in the advanced placement program for high school students at Cornell University.

Souljah enrolled at Rutgers University and became a well-known writer and political commentator for the university newspaper. During her time at Rutgers, Sister Souljah volunteered at a medical center in Mtepa Tepa, Zimbabwe, and visited Mozambican refugee camps.

Souljah has given lectures at Harvard Law School, Howard University, and UCLA. She has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today Show, and various newsmagazine shows. She has also been the political commentator for 98.7 KISS FM in New York.

Souljah's appearance at the University of Rochester is sponsored by the Black Students' Union, Women's Caucus, and Outside Speakers Committee.