As part of the Distinguished Lecture Series, singer and poet John Trudell will speak about his experiences as an activist for Native American rights tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Wisconsin Union Theater.
A Native American himself, Trudell grew up on the Santee Sioux reservation near Omaha, Neb. In 1969 he became a leader in the occupation of Alcatraz Island by the activist group Indians of All Tribes. Later, he worked with and then, from 1973 to 1979, became the Chairman of the American Indian Movement.
According to UW-Madison senior Ann Hanson, who serves on the DLS committee, the diverse background of Trudell was one of the reasons he was asked to be part of the series.
\He's kind of a universal speaker because he's a poet and a musician so his speech won't be totally political. We thought it would reach a lot of people,"" she said.
After his mother-in-law, wife and three children were killed in a fire in 1979, Trudell began to use art, poetry and writing as a form of expression.
Hanson said Trudell tries to send an uplifting message and reach his audience on a personal level.
""I think it will interest students just because DLS tends to have more political speakers but this is really kind of a positive, optimistic, uniting voice,"" she said. ""I think it'll be good for students.""
Since then Trudell has recorded his own compositions with his band, Bad Dog, including their recent album ""Bone Days,"" which was executive-produced by actress Angelina Jolie.
Trudell has also appeared in the films ""Thunderheart"" and ""Smoke Signals"" and in the documentary ""Incident at Oglala.""
This is the fourth speaker in the series this season, which, according to Hanson, attempts to bring prominent speakers to challenge the ideas of students and make them more aware of people who come from different backgrounds and experiences.
UW-Madison English Professor Lynn Keller said she believes these types of programs are valuable for students.
""Many of us in the English department and in other programs, make a deliberative attempt to include writers or material that represent multicultural backgrounds,"" she said. ""It is because we believe that it is really valuable for the students to have that kind of exposure.""
The most popular speaker so far this semester was actor Ben Stein. Hanson said she does not expect the same kind of turnout for Trudell's speech.
""I don't think it will sell out the theater, but I expect a lot of students will want to attend,"" she said.
