Nate Howard will give his lecture on Feb. 22
By Carly Gaba
Nate Howard, motivational speaker, poet and educator, will be at KU Wednesday Feb. 22, informing students on “Movement BE.” The free event will take place at 7 p.m. in MSU 183.
Movement BE, a nonprofit organization, stands to represent telling your own story before the media has a chance to make assumptions. After launching his “Know Your Rights” campaign, Howard starting teaching Movement BE to students in situations involving police officers.
In May 2013, Howard appeared on the front page of LA Times for creating controversy against racial profiling. This event that was violently shut down by 79 LAPD officers, took place at Louisiana State University.
A year later, Howard was beaten by San Jose police after his commencement speech at the San Jose State Black Graduation for standing up for a friend.
Howard resisted arrest and was later found guilty for this crime, but that did not stop him. Howard’s awe-inspiring story led to his campaigns, where he now empowers youth to create change and show them that it is possible.
This will be Howard’s first visit to KU. He will have lunch with “Walking in Shoes of…,” a program of the Fredrick Douglas Institute at KU used to introduce the idea of higher education to teenagers in foster care.
Howard will then be the keynote speaker to a class and poetry workshop leading up to a student leader dinner.
“Nate Howard is a talented speaker and educator,” said Leah Cassellia, director of student involvement. “I believe he will have a good impact on the students.”
Howard and his movement are strongly supported by the university. The Association of Campus events (ACE) is one of many sponsors. Others include Off-Campus Advisory Council, United Greek Council and the College of Education.
During his time at KU, Howard will primarily be speaking about how the audience can tell their own stories.
He is a Southern California University graduate, and according to his website. His biggest inspirations are Martin Luther King Jr. and Maya Angelou.
Students are encouraged to attend this event and see if Howard, who is named one of the top 28 Black leaders in the nation under 28 years old by NBCBLK28, can be your biggest inspiration.