Accomplished poet, professor and scholar Demetrice A. Worley, Ph.D., will be speaking at Central Washington University on May 25 at 7 p.m. Her speech, “Consigned to Oblivion: Murdered and Disappeared Women of Color and the Criminal Justice System,” will be held in Black Hall 151 and is free and open to the public.

With a passion for poetry, Worley writes on a variety of subjects including the struggles that African American women face.

“African American literature is a literature born out of protest,” Worley said. “The first written texts by black people, sermons, poetry and so on, were created to protest the inhumanity and injustice of the institution of slavery.”

Her poems have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies including “Women. Period.” and “Africana Women’s Poetic Self-Portrait.” Her debut poetry book, “Tongues in My Mouth,” contains an assortment of 43 poems.

“Poetry has the power to emotionally and intellectually involve a reader in a specific moment,” Worley said. “This emotional and intellectual involvement can have the ability to educate a reader about a topic or issue with which the reader has had no experience.”

Among Worley’s awards for her work as a writer and professor include the Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching (1994) and Outstanding English Faculty Member Award (1993). An active member of numerous organizations, Worley presently teaches courses on creative writing and African American literature at Bradley University.

“As individuals we must use our power to create social justice,” Worley said. “We cannot wait for someone else to make a positive change for humanity.”

Worley’s appearance is part of the CWU Social Justice and Human Rights Series. This year’s inaugural theme, “Mass Incarceration and Racial Justice: Black and Brown Lives Do Matter,” aims to educate Central’s community and initiate discussions about race.

For more information, contact Stacey Robertson, Ph.D., at 509-963-2237 or
srobertson@cwu.edu.

This event is sponsored by the College of Arts and Humanities. Persons of disability may make arrangements for reasonable accommodation by calling 509-963-1858 or by emailing DS@cwu.edu.