First black female undergrad at UNC to speak March 29

Karen Parker, the first black female undergraduate at UNC, will speak at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media on Monday, March 29, at 6 p.m. in Carroll Hall 33.

Sponsored by the Hearst Visiting Professionals Program in the school and hosted by the Carolina Association of Black Journalists (CABJ), Parker’s lecture — “Activism and Professionalism” — is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so RSVP to 

cabjUNC@gmail.com to reserve a seat.

The first installment of the Carolina Association of Black Journalists lecture series, her talk will focus on balancing the activist and professional in you, without creating a conflict of interest. In 1963, Parker — a journalism alumna — was the first black woman to enroll in undergraduate studies at Carolina. During her time at UNC, she participated in civil rights demonstrations. She was once arrested and jailed for her participation in a sit-in.

Parker is a copy editor at the Winston-Salem Journal. Before joining the Journal, she was an editor at the Grand Rapids Press in Grand Rapids, Mich., and the Los Angeles Times, among other papers.

CABJ is an affiliate student chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. For more information, contact CABJ president Ayana Allen at ayana@email.unc.edu.

Event flier