The Melvin Van Peebles Symposium will start on Thursday, March 27, and continue through Saturday, March 29, in celebration of Black art and culture. Please get your tickets today!
- Ohio Wesleyan faculty and staff – $115 per person.
- Current Ohio Wesleyan students – $25 per person with a valid OWU ID. (OWU students volunteering to work at the symposium will be admitted free.)
- VIP meet-and-greet with actress and activist Erika Alexander – $75 per person, available only with symposium ticket purchase. (This hour-long reception will precede the closing banquet. Limited VIP tickets are available.)
The three-day event will include academic presentations, roundtable discussions, art exhibitions, dance and theater presentations, and more. In addition to “Living Single” actress Erika Alexander, presenters will include artists Alicia Brown and Lance Johnson and vegan chef Bryant Terry.
The symposium will include a free outdoor screening of “American Fiction,” starring Alexander, with a food truck, music, and fun on Friday, March 28. The full list of presenters, topics, and bios is available online at www.owu.edu/VanPeebles.
Ohio Wesleyan launched the symposium in 2023 in memory of Van Peebles, a 1953 graduate of the university and groundbreaking Black filmmaker whose best-known works include “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” “Watermelon Man,” and “The Story of a Three-Day Pass.”
Students wishing to attend but who have financial concerns should reach out to Dawn Chisebe, CDO.
OWU Sponsoring Organization/Office: Van Peebles Planning Committee
Contact: mvpsymposium@owu.edu