N.C. A&T Begins 2024-25 Chancellor’s Speaker Series Season with Yara Shahidi

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 24, 2024) – The North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Chancellor’s Speaker Series 2024 season will open with “Your Voice, Your Vote,” featuring powerhouse actress, producer, change agent and leader, Yara Shahidi. This installment of the series will take place Thursday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m., in Harrison Auditorium. North Carolina A&T alumnus Tylik McMillan ’19 will moderate the conversation.

As political races intensify leading to Election Day, the necessity of accurate information and sound discussion prevails. “Your Voice, Your Vote,” will provide dialogue around individual and collective civic engagement, responsibility and the power to enact change.

Shahidi is an award-winning actress, producer and breakout star of ABC’s Emmy and

Golden Globe-nominated series, “black-ish.” She served as executive producer and lead of Freeform’s “black-ish” spinoff series, “grown-ish,” Amazon Studios’ romantic comedy, “Sitting in Bars with Cake,” and the Facebook Watch interview show, “Yara Shahidi’s Day Off.” She also played Tinker Bell in Disney’s live-action film, “Peter Pan & Wendy,” and voiced a character in Netflix’s 2022 animated film, “My Father’s Dragon.”

Offscreen, Shahidi is a champion for inclusive media programming and an advocate for equity.

Identified as a leader of the New Hollywood guard, she has received numerous accolades for her work outside of entertainment, such as TIME Magazine’s 30 Most Influential Teens, Forbes 30 Under 30, British Vogue Forces for Change, Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year and Essence Magazine’s Black Women in Hollywood.

Inspired by her extensive work with former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, Shahidi founded Eighteen x 18, now called WeVoteNext, to shine a light on Gen Z and inclusion of Black, Indigenous and people of color in the political process.

In 2022, Shahidi earned a B.A. in social studies and African American studies, with a concentration in Black political thought under a neocolonial landscape from Harvard University.

McMillian is an international civil rights activist and movement strategist. He works to educate lawmakers and stakeholders on the challenges and opportunities facing communities by advocating for more resources and policies that help invest and advance economic and social equality.

With a passion for advocacy, McMillian has worked with Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. He also helped organize and spoke at the 2020 Commitment March on Washington and the 2021 March On for Voting Rights.

McMillian participates in many community activities and boards. A member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., he is a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Political Action Committee Board of Directors, Social Justice Ambassador of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the National Racial Equity Initiative for Social Justice Task Force. His work has afforded him the opportunity to appear on MSNBC, The Grio, Roland Martin Unfiltered, FoxSoul, BBC World News and others. He has been recognized by Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris Administration as a prominent young voice to help lead the nation forward.

The Chancellor’s Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Tickets for “Your Voice, Your Vote” will be available from the University Ticket Office in Brown Hall beginning Monday, Oct. 7.

Media planning to cover this event should contact Jackie Torok, university director of media relations, via email at jtorok@ncat.edu no later than Thursday, Oct. 17, to request credentials.