Laverne Cox auditorium tickets are now SOLD OUT. However, because the lecture cannot be recorded, we are live-streaming it to the Rackham Amphitheatre and the Michigan League Ballroom.

U-M CEW brings celebrated and award-winning transgender actress, producer & equal rights advocate Laverne Cox to Rackham Auditorium on Wednesday, November 15th at 6:00 p.m. In Ms. Cox’s lecture, titled Ain’t I a Woman: My Journey to Womanhood, she will be sharing her experiences as a trans woman of color, and her work as an international advocate for human rights and gender equality. This lecture serves as the capstone event to the 2017 CEW Spectrum of Advocacy & Activism Symposium being held earlier in the day.

Laverne Cox is an Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy-winning producer and the first transgender woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted television show. As the 2017 Mullin Welch guest lecturer, Laverne will be sharing her experiences as a trans woman of color, and her work as an international advocate for human rights and gender equality.

As “Sophia Burset,” an incarcerated African American transgender woman on “Orange is the New Black,” Laverne is the first trans woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted television show. Along with several acting awards, Laverne was notably the first trans woman to appear on the cover of TIME magazine. An accomplished producer and celebrated equal rights advocate, she continues to drive positive change on a global scale as she shares her views on race, class, and gender with audiences through a range of platforms.

Laverne projects a combination of strength and vulnerability in her presentations while delivering an animated reflection on the transgender experience. Her recollections of growing up in Mobile, Ala., moving to New York City, and finding the courage to step into womanhood illustrate the unique challenges faced by the transgender community. With a powerful and empowering message about self-acceptance and love, Laverne moves audiences to respect and appreciate all individuals and advocate for positive change.

This event is free and open to the public, however tickets are required.

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This lecture is made possible through the generous support of the CEW Frances & Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund and the CEW Mullin Welch Fund. Additional funding is provided by the Office of the Provost’s King-Chavez-Parks Visiting Professorship Program.

CEW would also like to thank the following University of Michigan event partners: Institute for Research on Women & Gender (IRWG), College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA), Office of the Vice Provost for Equity, Inclusion and Academic Affairs, University Human Resources (UHR), Women of Color Task Force (WCTF), Athletics, School of Public Health (SPH), Student Life, Spectrum Center, and the Ginsberg Center.

The CEW Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund promotes diversity and cultural awareness by bringing women leaders to campus.

The CEW Mullin Welch Lecture Series was established in 1989 by Frances Daseler and Marjorie Jackson in memory of their sister Elizabeth Charlotte Mullin Welch. This fund brings to the U-M campus outstanding women who exemplify Elizabeth’s characteristics: creativity, strength of character, and expansive vision.