Your Spring 2016 Lecture Board Speaker: Viola Davis

The Brown Lecture Board has just announced that their featured speaker this February will be actor and producer Viola Davis. Davis stars in ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder, for which she became the first black woman to win the Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series last year. Since then, Davis has been outspoken regarding the overwhelming whiteness of the Oscars, the Academy and the entertainment industry at large.A two-time Tony winner, she has drawn critical acclaim both on stage and screen, having starred in numerous movies throughout her career (famously Doubt and The Help). She also started her own production company with her husband.Davis' appearance is close to home. A native of Central Falls, Rhode Island, Davis will bring a wide range of experience to Salomon. After growing up in what she described as “abject poverty and dysfunction," she attended Rhode Island College and The Julliard School in New York City. For more information on her, check out our profile from last semester.Viola Davis will speak in Salomon Hall on Monday, February 29th. Ticket lotteries will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on February 24th, 25th, and 26th on the Brown Lecture Board site.Image via.