For release: September 25, 2012
For press information, contact Dr. Antonio de Velasco, 901-678-3185

Jacqueline Royster

Crusading journalist and former Memphis resident Ida B. Wells will be the subject of a public lecture Friday, Sept. 28, as part of the 13th Biennial Public Address Conference at the University of Memphis.  Sponsored by the U of M’s Department of Communication, the event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Central Avenue lot, just across the street from the U of M campus.

“Ida B. Wells:  Legacies for Civic Action and Leadership from a Truth-telling Woman” will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Room 250 of the Art and Communication Building, 3715 Central Avenue.  The guest lecturer will be Jacqueline Jones Royster, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

“Jacqueline Royster is a scholar with unparalleled knowledge of the largely untold story of how women, particularly African-American women, became such powerful rhetorical actors in America during the 19^th Century,” said Tony de Velasco, conference director and associate professor of communication at the U of M.  “We are particularly pleased with the quality and diversity of this year’s program; we have been fortunate to bring together the foremost leaders in our field.”

Royster is one of more than 30 scholars and leaders in the fields of rhetoric and the study of political discourse who will visit the University Sept. 27-29 to discuss a variety of issues related to “Civic Learning:  Rhetoric, Public Address, Political Division.”  Conference organizers believe that this year’s event will be particularly meaningful, occurring as it does shortly before the presidential debates and the presidential election.

More information about the conference is available from de Velasco at 901-678-3185.