The Denison University Lecture Series will host Star Parker, a former welfare mom and now a conservative crusader, to discuss "Leaving the Poverty Plantation." This convocation, set for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 15) in Slayter Auditorium, is free and open to the public.

Parker is the founder and president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education. CURE is a non-profit organization that aims to provide a national voice of reason on issues of race and poverty in the media, inner city neighborhoods and public policy.

Prior to her involvement in social activism, Parker was a single mother living on welfare in Los Angeles. She returned to college and earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and launched an urban Christian magazine. The 1992 Los Angeles riots destroyed her business, but served as a springboard for her focus on free market alternatives to empower the lives of the poor.

Currently Parker is a regular commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News. She has given testimony before Congress, debated Jesse Jackson on BET, fought for school choice on Larry King Live and defended welfare reform on the Oprah Winfrey Show. She also has hosted radio talk shows and is a regular guest editorialist for USA Today. Parker spoke at the 1996 Republican National Convention and co-produced a documentary on welfare reform with the BBC in London.

Parker's life story as a hustler and welfare addict to conservative crusader has been chronicled by ABC's "20/20," Reader's Digest, The Washington Times, Christianity Today, Charisma and World Magazine.

Her articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Her autobiography "Pimps, Whores & Welfare Brats" was released in 1997 by Pocket Books. Her new book, "Uncle Sam's Plantation," was released by Thomas Nelson in 2003.

Parker argues that the government manipulates, controls, and ultimately devastates the lives of poor blacks and describes what she believes Americans must do to stop it. She further argues that the bureaucracy bungled attempts to end poverty.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- The Denison Lecture Series will host Star Parker to discuss "Leaving the Poverty Plantation;" 7:30 p.m., Tuesday (Feb. 15), Slayter Auditorium. Free and open to the public. Contact (740) 587-6769 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575