Brandon Wolf’s life changed forever on June 12, 2016, when a gunman opened fire in Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Wolf narrowly escaped, but two of his best friends were among the 49 victims of America’s second deadliest mass shooting.

Since the tragedy, Wolf has channeled his life into fighting for a safer world, becoming a nationally recognized LGBTQ rights advocate and leader in the movement to end gun violence. He will share his story and sign copies of his memoir A Place for Us as the speaker for this year’s Ida B. Wells lecture on Tuesday, March 11, at 4 p.m. in Mitchell Hall.

Registration is required.

The lecture is hosted by the Department of Women and Gender Studies, which has created a series of courses engaging students in critical conversations exploring the history and role of violence in the United States. The four course mini-curriculum examines topics such as the American frontier, modern day mass murders, violence in literature and media, and domestic abuse. It asks whether violence has become a part of our country’s tradition, embedded in our laws, customs, norms and practices, and what we can do to rid it from our society.

The Ida B. Wells lecture and the mini-curriculum are supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Affirming Multivocal Humanities program and the College of Arts and Sciences.