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Video Blogger Entertainer is MLK DOD Speaker at UW

woman standing and smiling at camera
Franchesca Ramsey

New York City actress, comedian and video blogger Franchesca Ramsey is the keynote speaker for Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue (MLK DOD) scheduled Jan. 30-Feb. 4 at the University of Wyoming.

She will speak Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Ballroom.

MLK DOD events are scheduled at later dates than in previous years and coincide with the return of students for the start of spring semester Monday, Jan. 23. Events each year are offered to raise awareness of diversity issues, build a sense of community and celebrate diversity.

UW community members honor the continuing impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his life and ideals through this celebration. The week of activities renews UW’s commitment to making the campus and Wyoming a more welcoming and empowering place for people from different backgrounds, heritages, orientations and abilities, says the committee co-chair Joi Thomas.

As a video blogger, Ramsey, who is known as “Chescaleigh,” has more than 29 million views on YouTube and more than half a million followers across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Her videos have been featured on MTV, The New York Times and The BBC.

In 2012, “Sh*t White Girls Say…to Black Girls” was viewed 5 million times in five days, garnering coverage on MSNBC, ABC and CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.” Most recently, Ramsey worked as a writer and contributor for “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” on Comedy Central and is currently the host of the MTV web series “Decoded.”

Her “Chescaleigh” comedy channel is a mix of song parodies, impersonations and original characters, along with socially conscious and topical comedy sketches. The channel also focuses on beauty, natural hair care and styling.

To learn more about Ramsey, view her website at www.franchesca.net/.

The theme for the latest MLK DOD week of events is “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” a line taken from one of King’s speeches.

In April 1967, a year before he was killed, King preached on the “fierce urgency of now” in a sermon, titled “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.” Of all his speeches, it remains the least remembered because it summoned Christians to protest the Vietnam War. Despite the specific historical references, King’s argument that civil rights and world peace are interwoven offers insights into today’s problems and mankind’s future.

The MLK DOD committee is finalizing a complete schedule and further events will be announced. Go to www.uwyo.edu/studentaff/mlkdod/ for updates.

 

 

Contact Us

Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


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