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This event is being organized by the Unity House. This event is being held in person or on Zoom.
Funmilola Fagbamila is a Nigerian-American playwright, performance artist and professor. Her internationally touring stage play on the complexities of Black political identity, The Intersection, has been met with critical acclaim by thinkers and artists such as civil rights legend Angela Davis and singer Erykah Badu. The production has staged in venues across the U.S., England, France, the Netherlands and Brazil.
Funmilola currently serves as professor of Pan African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles and is a founding member of Black Lives Matter— having served as the Arts and Culture director in Los Angeles for several years after the organization’s inception. Her work was honored by the US Congress in both 2015 and 2018; and her writing and social commentary have been featured in publications such as the Guardian, BBC News and NPR.
Funmilola’s viral poem “Black Girl Fly” has been viewed online more than 4 million times and in 2021 the TNT network collaborated with Funmilola on a national feature for this piece.
In 2020, Funmilola traveled to Paris at the request of the president of France (Emmanuel Macron), to offer her consultation in France’s plan to address the country’s colonial history with African nations. And just recently, Prof. Fagbamila was commissioned to write a speech on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr— which will be presented by Dr. King’s only living granddaughter, Yolanda King.
Funmilola has delivered keynote addresses, lectures and performances at universities across the U.S. and Europe. Some of the venues include UCLA School of Law, Oxford University, Stanford and Harvard.
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts is pleased to announce our events for the Fall!
