Speakers

LUNCHEON ADDRESS: Eugene H. Freedheim Lecture
Erin Gruwell, Pres., Freedom Writers Foundation

Educator and catalyst for change, Erin Gruwell helped turn around the lives of teens who had been exposed to violence and drugs, and labeled as "unteachable, at-risk." Their story was portrayed in a book and movie about the "Freedom Writers." Today, she serves as president of a nonprofit organization that impacts communities by decreasing high school drop out rates through the replication and enhancement of the Freedom Writers Method.

 

The Luncheon Address is supported in part by the Eugene H. and Mina K. Freedheim Fund. The Luncheon program, sponsored by KeyBank, includes presentation of the Most Treasured Volunteer (MTV) Awards and the $20,000 Anisfield-Wolf Memorial Award for outstanding service by a nonprofit organization. MTV Awards are sponsored by Medical Mutual of Ohio; the Anisfield-Wolf Memorial Award fund is held by The Cleveland Foundation. Attendance by students is made possible by the Cleveland Clinic.

OPENING ADDRESS: W. T. McCullough Lecture
Richard Rodriguez, Author, Journalist

Richard Rodriguez writes about the intersection of his personal life with some of the great vexing issues of America. His work has been rewarded by the Frankel Medal (now The National Humanities Medal), the highest honor the federal government gives to recognize work done in the humanities. In his book, Brown: The Last Discovery of America, he undermines America's black-and-white notion of race and proposes the color brown for understanding the future (and past) of the Americas.

 

The Opening Keynote Session is sponsored by The Center for Health Affairs and supported in part by the W. T. McCullough Lecture Fund.

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