Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin will be among the speakers at the 2024-25 University at Buffalo's Distinguished Speakers Series. Hamlin's appearance will wrap up the season in March.
The series kicks off on Oct. 16 with an appearance by presidential historian Jon Meacham. He is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including "Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush," "Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power," "Franklin and Winston," "American Gospel," "And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle" and "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House," which won a Pulitzer Prize.
He is also a co-author of "Impeachment: An American History," which reveals the complicated motives behind the three impeachments in U.S. history. His latest book, "The Call to Serve," honors the 100th anniversary of George H.W. Bush’s birth, and is an illuminating portrait of a man who was more than his politics.
Nobel Laureate Nadia Murad will take the stage on Nov. 14.
Murad is a leading advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence. Her New York Times bestselling memoir, "The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State," is a harrowing account of the genocide against the Yazidi ethno-religious minority in Iraq and Murad’s imprisonment by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).
In 2018, she won the Nobel Peace Prize, alongside Denis Mukwege, for their effort to end the use of sexual violence in conflict. In 2019, Murad was appointed a U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocate.
Bestselling author and philanthropist Misty Copeland will visit UB on Feb. 12 as the university’s 49th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration keynote speaker.
The first Black woman to be promoted to the position of principal dancer in the 75-year history of the American Ballet Theatre, Copeland has performed some of the most iconic classical ballet roles, including Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake," Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet," "Giselle," "Manon," "Coppelia," Kitri in "Don Quixote" and "Firebird," to name a few.
In 2022, she launched The Misty Copeland Foundation; its first signature program, BE BOLD, aims to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to dance, especially ballet.
Copeland is The New York Times' bestselling author of "Life in Motion," "Ballerina Body" and "Black Ballerinas," as well as a picture book titled "Bunheads." She is also the author of the award-winning children’s picture book "Firebird." Copeland’s newest book, "The Wind at My Back," in tribute to her late mentor and friend, pioneering ballerina Raven Wilkinson, was published in November 2022.
She received the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP’s highest honor, in 2021.
This year’s series will conclude on March 13 with Hamlin's appearance.
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a "Monday Night Football" game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023. Since then, Hamlin has become a dedicated advocate for increasing awareness of CPR training and AED access.
Hamlin launched the CPR Tour, a groundbreaking initiative through his Chasing M’s Foundation, that has equipped more than 1,200 individuals with lifesaving skills, provided 170 AEDs to communities in need and catalyzed legislative change in 12 states.
This year, the foundation plans to expand the CPR Tour to five U.S. cities and internationally to Europe, Asia and Africa.