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Legendary actor, singer and Civil Rights activist Harry Belafonte will present the keynote address during С����Ƶ’s 13th annual Unity Days on Tuesday, October 12, on the Lawrenceville campus. The lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Bart Luedeke Center Cavalla Room and will be followed by a question and answer session. 

Best known for his Jamaican-influenced Calypso music, including his Banana Boat song, and his Broadway and film credits, the Emmy and Tony-award winning artist was also heavily involved in American politics and the Civil Rights movement. He was appointed as Cultural Adviser to the Peace Corps by President John F. Kennedy, and later, as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in the 1980s, where he served as an organizer for “We are the World,” which raised millions of dollars for emergency assistance to Africa.

During his keynote address, 1960-2010 — 50 Years of Social Change, Belafonte will discuss his career through the years including charities that he has been involved in and lessons he has learned. 

С����Ƶ’s Unity Days, held this year from Monday, October 11 through Thursday, October 14, traditionally brings students, faculty and staff together, to celebrate all the diverse elements that make up the Rider community. In addition to Belafonte’s lecture, the week will feature celebrations, workshops, a play and poetry readings.

The rest of the 2010 Unity Days schedule, includes:

Monday, October 11

National Coming Out Day

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Daly Dining Hall

Rider’s Gay and Straight Alliance will celebrate the internationally-observed civil awareness day for coming out and discussion about gay, lesbian, and transgender. Free National Coming Out Day shirts will also be distributed.

Tuesday, October 12

Unity Days Opening Celebration

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Daly Dining Hall

The event will feature games and activities depicting 50 years of social interaction with a performance by The Steel Kings Band.

Workshop: One Nation Under God — 50 Years of Religious Change

1:30 to 3 p.m., Bart Luedeke Center Fireside Lounge, Room 245  

This workshop will explore tremendous changes in the American religious landscape of the past 50 years.

Workshop: Fifty Years of a Changing Workforce

3 to 4:30 p.m., Bart Luedeke Center Fireside Lounge, Room 245

This workshop, led by Dr. Hazel-Anne Johnson, assistant professor of Management, will explore the changing U.S. immigration policy over the past 50 years.

Wednesday, October 13

Workshop: Music and Social Unification

1:15 to 2:45 p.m., Bart Luedeke Center Pub

This multi-media workshop will explore the role music has played in unifying people around particular social issues during the past 50 years.

Workshop: Women in Athletics — A Perspective of the Last 50 Years

7 to 8:30 p.m., Sweigart Hall Auditorium, Room 115

An expert panel, led by Laura Seplaki, director for the Leadership Development Program, will give perspective about issues surrounding women in Athletics during the past 50 years.

Play: 1960s Black

7 to 9 p.m., Bart Luedeke Center Cavalla Room

This play will depict a dramatic look at the most influential and horrific decade of African American history.

Thursday, October 14

ON FIRE!! Poetry Session

7 to 9 p.m., Bart Luedeke Center Fireside Lounge