Elizabethtown College will host a lecture series entitled “Evenings of Enlightenment” from 2021 to 2022. The first lecture will feature abduction survivor and founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation Elizabeth Smart, on Nov. 11.
Other lectures include MSNBC political analyst Michael Eric Dyson on Dec. 2, founder and president of the Ocean Exploration and pioneer of RMS Titanic Robert D on Feb. 16. Ballard, best-selling author Jim Collins on March 30 and human rights advocate Karima Bennoune on April 20.
Smart will speak as part of the annual Leffler Lecture, which is held in the fall semester. Bennoune will speak as part of the annual Ware Lecture held in the spring semester.
While a majority of the lectures will be held in the upcoming year, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Smart and Dyson regarding their respective experiences.
Smart was abducted on June 5 of 2002 by Brian David Mitchell. She was subsequently held captive by Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee until March 12 of 2003. Since then, Mitchell has been serving his sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind. Barzee was released from prison in September of 2018. Smart has since protested against Barzee’s release.
After her abduction, Smart founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation and advocated to promote the AMBER Alert, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act and other legislative proposals to prevent abductions.
She also published the New York Times bestselling book “My Story,” which details her experiences during her abduction from 2002 and 2003, as well as worked with other abduction survivors and the Department to create a guide for survivors entitled “You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment.”
Dyson, who will speak on Dec. 2, is a professor of sociology at Georgetown University. Additionally, Dyson has written almost 20 books on Black political leaders such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Marvin Gaye and Barack Obama, as well as books on a variety of other topics. His book “Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster” won two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Work in Non-Fiction and the American Book Award.
He now serves as a political analyst for MSNBC and contributing editor for the New Republican. Previously, Dyson was a host for NPR.
Students, faculty and staff are eligible to attend the lectures for free, but a college-issued ID will be required for entry. A full subscription to the lecture series, which includes the reception and dinner prior to Collins’ lecture, is $355. A partial subscription allows attendees to pick three lectures to attend; however, an additional fee of $110 will be added for the reception and dinner if attendees select the Collins lecture. Individual tickets can also be purchased.
All the lectures, except Collins’ lecture, will be held on their respective dates at 7:30 p.m. in the Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. Collins will speak at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square located on 25 South Queen St., Lancaster, Pa 17603. Attendees will have the opportunity to attend the reception and dinner prior to Collins’ lecture.
