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Show Keynote speaker to address inequality BY SPENCER EASTWOOD /STAFF WRITER PHOTO COURTESY OF !MANI PERRY 0 n Thursday, the U will host Imani Perry, a professor from the Center for African American Studies at Princeton University, to give a keynote address on Martin Luther King Jr. The speech will take place at the end of the U's MLK Week celebration. Perry's talk, titled "Do Black Lives Matter After All?" will explore the struggles of racial inequality in America. This topic is pertinent, given recent events involving police shootings. The deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and of Darrien Hunt in Saratoga Springs, Utah, have sparked outrage and protests from large groups across the country. The topic of racial inequality has topped news coverage for months now. Neelam Chand, spokesperson for the U's Office for Equity and Diversity, is the co-chair for this year's MLK Week celebration and is excited for the keynote address. "[This year's] theme, 'Stolen Rights: Repressed. Revoked. Redefined' allows us to talk about what the civil rights movement looks like today and how we can be more involved to create positive change much like Dr. King's examples," Chand said. Chand said Perry is an excellent choice for this year's speaker because of the relevance of her topic for U students. "The idea of engaging the community together to fight for equality and influence positive change is something we can learn from Dr. King," Chand said. "Whether it be through a rally, march, art, silent protests, social media or in an educational institution, there is power in numbers, and we see it happening in today's activism." Perry graduated with both a Ph.D. and a J.D. from Harvard University in 2000. She recently stated in a Princeton University interview that people like Martin Luther King Jr. "transformed the world, transformed the country [and] made it more just. I want [students] to have a sense not just of racial inequality in terms of them being vulnerable but them standing in a tradition of extraordinary courage." The keynote address is free and open to the public. Perry's address will begin at 12 p.m. in the Union West Ballroom. The Daily Utah Chronicle BY BROCK JENSEN/STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY ERIN BURNS W Chand: "We encourage everyone to participate and be a part of remembering the work of Dr. King and recognizing the work we still have to accomplish together." s.eastwood@chronicle.utah.edu @spenceast Contact Courtney Tanner at c.tanner@chromcle.utah.edu is hiring news reporters 4 { THECHRONY I NEWS RODRIGUEZ ANSWERS THE CALL FOR UTAH OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015 } for more information. hen Danielle Rodriguez was a senior in high school, she had some hard phone calls to make. After developing relationships for months with coaches at different colleges, it was time to decide on a school. Rodriguez did have one phone call she was more than happy to make, and fortunately for Utah women's basketball head coach Anthony Levrets, he was on the receiving end. For many students, selecting a college can be a difficult decision, but for athletes the choice can carry a little more weight. Student-athletes aren't just worried about the education they'll be receiving but also about the program that will best help them further their athletic career. Years after her decision, Rodriguez still feels she made the correct choice in becoming a Ute. Rodriguez comes from a basketball family; when she was in middle school, it started to show. She hit a growth spurt and with her new added height, basketball started to click. A few years later, college coaches began to take notice. While a junior at Warren High School in Downey, Calif., Rogriguez started receiving emails and Facebook messages filled with sales pitch after sales pitch to attend different schools and join their programs. "Recruiting is kind of stressful.You're still narrowing down schools, and they just all start to flood you': Rodriguez said. "It's a lot to handle" Rodriguez wasn't quick to pull the trigger on a school, however. She figured she still had much room to improve as a player and waiting to commit to a program allowed her to add to her résumé through her senior year. She kept in contact with the different schools and coaches as she entered her senior year, and soon Utah and other bigger schools started coming into the picture. "Utah came at me really hard': Rodriguez said. Coming from California, Rodriguez said it was always a dream of hers to play in the Pac-12, and playing for the Utes gave her that opportunity, but that wasn't the only thing Utah was offering. "One thing about Utah that really sold me was Anthony Levrets and the chance for me to get better," Rodriguez said. The lifestyle of the school was also an important element Rodriguez and her family took into account when looking at different options, and the U met the standards she was looking for. As Rodriguez began finalizing the process with Utah, she faced one of the most difficult aspects of that choice — telling the other schools no. But even though she had to go through some bad phone calls, she was left with the one that brought her to Salt Lake City. Now in her junior year, she has no regrets about the choice she made a couple of years ago. "I've grown so much as a player and as a person:' Rodriguez said. Her coach is also pleased with how Rodriguez has progressed as a player. "She shows up to practice and gives her best effort every single day': Levrets said. "We're asking a lot of Dani.You can pencil her in for 40 minutes every night:' It can be a challenge for some athletes to adjust to the college level. A lot of times they come from being the standout high school star to having all the girls around them be just as good as they are. "You're on the floor with nine other girls who can play. That part is humbling," Rodriguez said. She has adjusted well and is now beginning to stand out on her own. All those hard phone calls were worth it. blensen@chronicle.utah.edu @brockjensen02 5 |