Panel will focus on race, watch Obama speech

 Five panelists will bring their diverse views on race during a discussion, "Does Race Matter?" sponsored by Grand Valley State University's Office of Multicultural Affairs as part of its Professionals of Color Lecture Series.

The event is set for Monday, October 6, beginning at 4 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center, Grand River Room, on the Allendale Campus. There is no cost to attend and the event is open to the public.

Prior to the panel discussion, audience members will watch part of presidential candidate Barack Obama's speech on race, which was given in March in Philadelphia. The panel discussion will be moderated by WOOD-TV Channel 8 anchor Jennifer Moss.

Panelists are Mark Fancher, senior staff attorney at ACLU of Michigan; Melissa Harris-Lacewell, associate professor of politics and African American studies at Princeton University; Kim Osorio, vice president of the Web site company Global Grind; Tim Wise, author of "White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son" and other books; and Helen Zia, journalist and scholar. More information about the panelists is below.

For more information about the event, call OMA at (616) 331-2177.

Mark Fancher: Through his work at the ACLU, Fancher addresses racial discrimination against public school students of color, affirmative action attacks, juvenile sentencing laws and public defender reform. He earned a law degree from the Rutgers University School of Law.

Melissa Harris-Lacewell: Author of "Barbershops, Bibles and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought," Harris-Lacewell has provided commentary on elections, racial issues and gender issues for national and international media.

Kim Osorio: A former editor at Source Magazine, Osorio has been a hip-hop writer since the mid-’90s. She earned a law degree from New York Law School and a bachelor's of fine arts from Fordham University.

Tim Wise: A noted anti-racist writer, Wise's essays and articles have been widely published. His first book was "Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White."

Helen Zia: Author of "Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People," Zia has covered Asian American issues as a journalist for decades. She is also a co-author of "My Country Versus Me."