Oakland University’s Student Life Lecture Board (SLLB) is hosting actress, activist, recording artist and author, Keke Palmer on Wed. Oct 11 for a live-virtual Q&A via Zoom. 

Palmer has starred in a great deal of films — notably “Hustlers,” Emmy winning “Grease Live!” and “Joyful Noise” alongside Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah. Earlier this year, she published her first book, “I Don’t Belong to You: Quiet the Noise and Find your Voice,” encouraging individuals to overcome limitations placed on them and become the hero of their own story. 

“This generation of college students grew up watching Keke Palmer star in movies and shows, and we knew her name recognition and what she stands for would really stand out as an amazing speaker,” said Drake Lambright, SLLB co-chair. “She’s been very vocal during this election season, and we believe the Oakland University community would be interested in hearing what she has to say, especially since the event will take place right after the election.”

The event is open to students, faculty, staff and alumni and will run as a moderated Q&A, hosted by Lambright. Questions will be submitted by attendees prior to the event.

“[Keke Palmer’s] got a great message,” said Jean Ann Miller, director of the office for student involvement (OSI) and SLLB co-chair. “She is someone that encourages individuals to be proud of themselves and who they are and what they have to contribute to society, their peers and the community. That couldn’t be more timely.”

Lambright mentioned she is excited to bring an opportunity like this to OU amid a pandemic. 

“It’s hard to find casual events to enjoy anymore and we’ve seen a lot of people get really excited about this lecture,” Lambright said. “Knowing that we can continue to provide opportunities for our community to still have fun while sitting at home is rewarding. [I think] participants will be surprised by how engaging [Keke Palmer] is in an interview setting. As a talk show host, she knows how to keep audiences engaged without making direct conversation with attendees and her ability to entertain is as impressive as it is fun.” 

The primary goal of SLLB is to bring the community together through shared interests. They work to bring a diverse series of lecturers to campus — such as Antoni Porowski and Ruth Carter — who have spoken in the past few years. 

“Overall, she’s young, knowledgeable, funny and popular enough for our community to take an interest, and we’re so honored to have her be our fall semester speaker,” Lambright said of Palmer. 

The Keke Palmer virtual, live Q&A will begin at 8 p.m. on Wed. Oct 11. Registration will be open until 4 p.m. on the day of, where attendees will receive a link to the Zoom session a few hours prior to the lecture. The registration link is available on SLLB’s Facebook event “A Virtual Night with Keke Palmer” or in their Instagram bio at @oaklandsllb.