Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and human-rights activists, will be speaking at 7 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom on Thursday as part of the fourth Presidential Speaker Series.

“These are front-line journalists who have seen the world’s history unfold in front of their eyes, and their perspective demands our attention,” Kent State President Lester A. Lefton said in a press release. “Human rights continue to be a dominant issue around the world — one that our students will face as they enter the global workforce. Kristof and WuDunn have a message that will resonate with both our heads and our hearts.”

Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times and a seasoned international journalist who has traveled to more than 150 countries. According to his biography from the American Program Bureau, Kristof “is often called the ‘reporter’s reporter’ for his human rights advocacy and his efforts to give a voice to the voiceless.”

WuDunn also worked as a journalist and executive at The New York Times where she became the first Asian-American to earn a Pulitzer Prize. According to her biography, she currently serves as a senior managing director at Mid-Market Securities, an organization that raises capital for businesses in the developing world.

The husband-and-wife duo are co-authors of three books, “China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power,” “Thunder from the East: Portrait of a Rising Asia” and “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.” “Half the Sky” was also made into a four-hour PBS series of the same name and was recently shown on campus for the Women’s Center’s Fall Film Series leading up to Thursday’s event.

The ticketed event, which is free to Kent State students, is sponsored by the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the College of Communication and Information.

Contact Matthew Merchant at [email protected].