ELON COLLEGE, N.C. – Star Parker, a former welfare recipient who is now an outspoken critic of the system she once took advantage of, will speak at Elon College at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday April 12, in McKinnon Hall of the Moseley Center. The talk, which is sponsored by the Elon Liberal Arts Forum and supported by a grant from the Young America’s Foundation, is free and open to the public.
Parker is president and founder of the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education, an organization that provides dialogue on how public policies affect African-Americans. Her lecture, titled “Entitlement to Empowerment,” will trace her journey from life as a single welfare mother to a conservative crusader.
Parker is a social policy consultant and media commentator, appearing regularly on broadcast talk shows such as Larry King Live, the Oprah Winfrey Show and Politically Incorrect.
In her autobiography, “Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats,” Parker details her former lifestyle, during which she cheated the welfare system in a variety of ways. In 1983 she quit her cycle of drug abuse, pregnancy, welfare and abortion, adopting a new faith and launching a new magazine for African-American Christian singles.
She now speaks out against affirmative action and other core beliefs of traditional civil rights leaders. She is a board member, along with former presidential candidate Alan Keyes, on Black America’s PAC, and serves on a strategic advisory board with Newt Gingrich. She also conducts goal-setting workshops in housing projects and hosts strategy sessions for inner city pastors.
Parker lives in California with her daughters Angel and Rachel.
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