Musician, filmmaker and human rights activist Bree Newsome will deliver a free public lecture on racial equality and activism in Bellarmine University’s Frazier Hall on Tuesday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m.

Newsome, an advocate for human rights and social justice campaigns, garnered national attention in 2015 after she climbed a flagpole and removed a Confederate flag outside the South Carolina State House. Her actions followed the killing of nine black parishioners by a white supremacist at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Zion Church. 

When interviewed later by CNN, Newsome said, "I wanted to highlight the unjust nature of the entire situation."

A longtime advocate for social justice, Newsome’s activism has also involved organizing protests, sit-ins and marches for many victims of violence, including Trayvon Martin and John Crawford. 

Newsome’s lecture, titled “Tearing Hatred from the Sky,” will feature her perspectives on racial equality and activism, along with a personal account of the activities which resulted in the permanent removal of the Confederate flag in front of South Carolina’s State House. The lecture will be followed by a question and answer session.

Frazier Hall is located in Bellarmine’s George G. Brown Center. [campus map]

Constitution Day is celebrated annually on September 17 to honor the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. In 2004, Congress introduced legislation directing all educational institutions receiving federal funds to host an educational program in the week surrounding Constitution Day.