National Social Commentator Star Parker Speaks at Lawrence University

APPLETON, WIS. -- Welfare mother turned social commentator Star Parker delivers the address "From Entitlement to Empowerment" Wednesday, March 13 at Lawrence University. Parker's address, at 7:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium, is free and open to the public.

Parker, a regular columnist for USA Today, is the founder and president of the Washington, D.C.-based Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), a non-profit foundation that promotes national dialogue on the impact of social policies on America's inner cities and the poor.

A single mother who spent seven years living on and off welfare in Southern California, Parker is a frequent guest on national television and radio talk shows, including "Larry King Live" and "Politically Incorrect." She was a featured speaker at the 1996 Republican National Convention and co-produced a documentary on welfare reform for the BBC.

Her autobiography, "Pimps, Whores and Welfare Brats," was published in 1997 and her second book, "How the Poor Get Rich," is scheduled for release later this year.

Parker's visit is sponsored by the student organization Lawrence University College Republicans.