Are You Ready to Fix Racism? (Or are You Still Pretending It Doesn’t Exist?), a presentation by writer, artist, and speaker damali ayo, will highlight UNC Asheville’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Week. Her talk begins at 7 p.m. on January 19, in the university’s Lipinsky Auditorium. Her talk is free and open to the public.

Through an interactive process, ayo leads her audiences in a process that develops multistep programs that can improve relationships within the community.

She is the author How to Rent a Negro (Lawrence Hill Books, 2005) that garnered Honorable Mention in the Outstanding Book Awards from the Gustavus Meyers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights. “Living Flag: Panhandling for Reparations,” ayo’s radio story, won a Silver Reel Award from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters.

UNC Asheville’s Martin Luther King Jr. Week events are sponsored by Cultural Events and Special Academic Programs, the Intercultural Center, Multicultural Student Programming, the Center for Diversity Education, and other campus organizations.

For more information about this event, please contact Tracie Pouliot, programs coordinator for Cultural Events and Special Academic Programs at 828.251.6991. An ASL Interpreter will be provided at ayo’s presentation. Individuals requiring other accessibility accommodations and/or childcare should call 828.251.6674 or email cultural@unca.edu at least three weeks in advance of the event.