University Park, PA -- On Friday, February 1, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Lawrence Young, director of Penn State's Paul Robeson Cultural Center, will give a presentation titled "Paul Robeson, the Man, the Myth, and the Cultural Center at Penn State" in the Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library.

Young received a B.A. in English and a master's degree from Miami University of Ohio. He went on to work there thirteen years and was the director of Educational Opportunity Programs and Minority Student Affairs, before joining Penn State's staff twenty years ago. Most recently, Young has overseen the planning and building of the new Paul Robeson Cultural Center in the renovated and expanded HUB—Penn State's student union building.

The original Paul Robeson Cultural Center at University Park was established in 1972, replacing the Black Cultural Center, a student-run enterprise. It was created to help Black students adjust to a their new environment, by providing cultural, educational and social support. It was also to provide a place for "building bridges to understanding."

The students, faculty, and staff chose to name the center after Paul Robeson, a man whose achievements, dedication and commitment in the areas of intellectual development, physical excellence, humanitarian spirit and artistic accomplishments were to serve as a model for all college students. Born in Princeton in 1898, the son of an ex-slave, Robeson was a world-renown scholar, actor, athlete, and singer. At the pinnacle of his artistic career in the 1940s, Robeson turned his attention to human rights, becoming an eloquent, often controversial spokesperson against racism and discrimination.

Sponsored by the University Libraries, Young's presentation is part of the Social Science Library's First Friday series, intended to bring together researchers and others interested in social sciences research. For a schedule of upcoming speakers in the series, visit www.libraries.psu.edu/pubinfo/news/FFschedule801.html

The lectures are free and open to the public. For more information about the First Friday series, call 814-865-4861.