Acclaimed rapper and actor Common will be taking the stage Tuesday for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Distinguished Speaker Series.
Following a visit from John Quiñones in September, Common will be the series’ second speaker to be featured in front of a live audience after the series went virtual due the pandemic, and the first back at UTRGV’s Edinburg campus.
“One of the things that we’re doing now just because we have the capability of doing things hybrid is that this event will be in the hybrid format,” Director of Student Activities Cindy Mata-Vasquez said. “Anyone who wants to come in person can. Of course, priority seating goes to our UTRGV students, faculty and staff. But we will have a virtual component.”
Born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, the revered rap artist, actor and activist who has garnered a number of accolades, including an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy and Grammy, is expected to deliver a 30-minute speech Tuesday followed by a 30-minute question and answer portion.
“I think one of the things that we like from all of our speakers in this series is that they’re once in a lifetime opportunities,” Mata-Vasquez said. “I always tell our students that they never know what negative information or piece of their story is going to resonate with them individually and motivate them to get to that next step and continue going for their goals.”
Mata-Vasquez said that she expects Common to deliver a speech filled with anecdotes related to certain childhood tribulations and his journey to the successful rapper and actor he is today.
“I’m very excited for Common,” she continued. “He’s been on our short list of speakers for a few years. For one thing or another, we haven’t been able to get him. To see that we were finally able to get him here, and it’s going to be right at the start of African-American History Month, so I think it all ties in.”
Common is scheduled to take the stage at the UTRGV Performing Arts Center, located at 1201 W. University Drive in Edinburg, at 7:30 p.m. Anyone interested in attending the event in-person can register at https://forms.office.com/r/Gi0BUKNxFp.
To watch the “Testify” rapper and “John Wick” actor virtually, visit https://alumlc.org/utrgv/13412.
