The Rev. Cecil Williams to speak at Chico State

The Rev. Cecil Williams, one of the best known social-activist ministers in Northern California will come to Chico State University next week for the opening event in the school's "Building Bridges" program.

The Rev. Williams is pastor of San Francisco's Glide Memorial United Methodist Church.

He will be speaking at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Harlen Adams Theater on campus. The speech, which is actually being sponsored by the Associated Students' AS Presents, is free and open to all.

The Glide Foundation, which is part of the church, operates 40 social services programs, and serves 3,000 hot meals daily to the needy.

With about 9,000 members, the church prides itself on having an all-inclusive congregation with members from all races, ethnic backgrounds, economic classes and sexual orientations.

Joe Wills, director of public affairs for Chico State, said Williams' visit to campus is part of a university effort to "build bridges" among the diverse populations on campus and in the community.

He said the incidence of hate crimes nationally, and the murder of a homosexual couple in the Redding area and the beating death of a homeless man in the south-of-campus Chico neighborhood, prompted the university community and particularly Chico State President Manuel Esteban to begin pondering about a year ago how to encourage a healthy discussion of the importance of diversity.

"Building Bridges" grew out of a campus group that began meeting almost exactly a year ago.

A press release about Williams' visit says "Building Bridges' goal is to bring together our campus - as well as reach out to other campuses and universities, K-12 schools, the interfaith community, government, business and social leaders - to build bridges of support to reject intolerance, promote mutual respect, and celebrate our growing diversity." Other Building Bridges speakers will include naturalist and poet Diane Ackerman on Sept. 19, and Southern Poverty Law Center founder Morris Dees on March 19.

Also during next week's event a bronze sculpture of Harlen Adams, by the late sculptor Gerald Lugenbeel Jr., will be presented to the university and will be permanently mounted in the Harlen Adams Theater.