Today a Nobel Peace Prize recipient will speak at The University of Memphis as part of a PeaceJam event cosponsored by the Student Activities Council, Rhodes College and BRIDGES.
Betty Williams, who won the prize with Mairead Corrigan in 1976, will speak at 5 p.m. in room 136 of the Fogelman Executive Center.
This is the first time The U of M has participated in the PeaceJam event, according to SAC Ideas and Issues chair Julia Adames.
"Hopefully, if it works out, we can be in touch with BRIDGES and PeaceJam every year," Adames said.
A reception is scheduled to follow Williams' lecture.
"She's going to do about 30 to 45 minutes on her work and how she got the award," Adames said. "Then she will open it up to Q and A."
Williams and Corrigan, who founded the organization Community of Peace People, received the award for their efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland.
In addition, Williams has also received the Schweitzer Award for Courage, the Martin Luther King Jr. Award and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award.
Williams serves as the Chair of Institute for Asian Democracy and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Nova Southeastern University.
In addition to speaking at The U of M tomorrow, Williams will also participate in the sixth annual Mid-South PeaceJam Conference at Rhodes College on Friday and Saturday.
"There will be about 250 high school students and 30 students from Rhodes College who will act as facilitators," said PeaceJam Coordinator Rody Thompson.
The Conference has brought five other Nobel Prize recipients to Memphis since its inception.
The University of Memphis has hosted other Nobel Prize winners in the areas of Peace and Chemistry.
Adames said the event would have a high turnout with University students and the entire Mid-South area.
Deaundre Hutchinson, a freshman music industry major, said he thought students would be interested in seeing the speaker.
"I think they would because it would inspire to do better things," Hutchinson said.
Antavius Flagg, a junior psychology major, also said he thoughts students would show up, however he felt turnout would be based on the publicity surrounding the event.
"It depends on if people have heard of her," he said.
"This is just an wonderful opportunity," Adames said. "It's different from any other event because she has this amazing award."
