When speakers come to campus to give a lecture, standing alone behind a podium in Cordiner is the setting that audiences are used to seeing. Keith Boykin’s Feb. 12 presentation, Whitman’s Fifth Matthew Shepard Lecture, offered a new and innovative way to give a presentation.
Upon walking into Maxey Auditorium, audiences were surprised to see that it was a talk show setting with three chairs, a coffee table and a slideshow projected in the background. Boykin discussed “Sexuality, Human Rights and the Media” with Cushing Eells Professor of Humanities Bob Tobin and Associate Professor of Spanish Alberto Galindo.
“We thought a dialogue would be appropriate. It’s what we do best in a liberal arts setting,” said Galindo, before kicking off the lecture. “We decided to have more of an interactive visit with Keith.”
Boykin has participated in six political campaigns, including one for former President Bill Clinton. His media career took off in 2004 when he was a contestant on the Showtime reality series “American Candidate.” Boykin currently hosts the BET’s “My Two Cents” and is a political commentator on CNN. His written work includes “Beyond the Down Low: Lies and Denial in Black America,” “Respecting the Soul” and “One More River to Cross,” spanning topics of race and sexuality. His career started after his time at Harvard Law, where he was a student with Sen. Barack Obama.
Maxey Auditorium brimmed with students, staff and faculty who listened to Boykin’s responses to several questions starting with homosexuals and their roles and portrayals in the media.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t see positive images of gays. Nowadays it’s such a common thing. But what really changes people and gets them to understand the gay community is when you know somebody that’s real, live, flesh and blood, who is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, that makes a difference,” said Boykin, an openly gay man himself.
The three men went on to discuss marriage, the power of rhetoric, civil rights and the lack of concern over the efficacy of government, particularly after Hurricane Katrina.
“We should be offended, outraged and pissed off. Our own people need help,” said Boykin, who was passionate about the problems going on within the United States. “I think what’s going on here is that the American people have been hoodwinked.”
As a major media figure, Boykin talked about the need for people to break out of their habits of routine and to gather the courage to make a change. According to Boykin, rhetoric can cause that change.
“Rhetoric without substance or action is shallow. It can inspire people to do good things and it often does,” said Boykin, who then referred to the power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work.
The lecture closed with a powerful statement made by Boykin, regarding the role of religion in society and its use as a tool for change and understanding.
“I think religion should be used as a tool for love and not as a weapon of hate,” said Boykin. “We know what you’re not supposed to do, but no one tells us what we should do. We should do good for the world.”
The lecture preceded Andrew Sullivan’s lecture, which took place the following evening. The two presentations offered two very different political views that gathered large crowds.
“We weren’t sure about the size of the audience and what we should expect, but I was happy to see such a large turnout,” said sophomore Jeremy Balch, who introduced the presentation with fellow GLBTQ member, junior Dusti Thurman.
“I think [Boykin] was one of the best Matthew Shepard Lecture Series events we’ve had here,” said Jed Schwendiman, GLBTQ adviser and the Lecture Series committee member. The series started in the spring of 2005 when an anonymous donor gave Whitman College the funding to hold events in the name of Matthew Shepard, a young man who was tragically murdered in 1998 because he was gay. Since the beginning of the series, Whitman has brought speakers and performers who have touched on issues of homosexuality and human rights as a positive legacy for Shepard.
