Updated: March 16, 2015 at 10:09 p.m.

Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker is coming to Syracuse University.

Whitaker will speak at Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Zeta chapter’s fourth annual Truth Be Told speaker series on Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. Tickets for the event are $1. Tickets can be purchased at the Schine Box Office and were made available on Monday.

Whitaker will speak on “The New American Opportunity” and in an email sent to political science students, Ronald Taylor, a member of the fraternity, said the group “will ask Whitaker to offer a candid and critical address on this concept and how he fits into the narrative.”

Taylor said in an email interview that the talk will also touch on the film industry and production, including Whitaker’s movies, “Fruitvale Station” and “The Butler.” He added that the fraternity was able to secure funding to bring Whitaker to campus through the Student Association.

“Our chapter started deliberating who we would bring for this event towards the end of the fall 2014 semester, we quickly decided that we needed to bring someone who could speak to both the challenging times on campus as well as the tumultuous atmosphere that rests over the country right now,” Taylor said.

The 53-year-old actor has won the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of dictator Idi Amin in the movie, “The Last King of Scotland.” He has appeared in a number of other films including, “Vantage Point,” “The Butler” and “Taken 3.”

“For us, having a speaker such as Whitaker is not for show, form or fashion, but our responsibility to the community and a sign of homage to our founders,” Taylor said. “Forest Whitaker, for us, is a drum major for justice and an example of taking your skill and craft and using it to benefit more than yourself.”

Published on March 16, 2015 at 5:24 pm

Contact Justin: jmatting@syr.edu | @jmattingly306