Star Parker, founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), is appearing as part of Marietta College’s 2012 Point of View series at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 12, at Fenton Court (please note the change of location).
Parker’s CURE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit think tank that promotes market-based public policy to fight poverty.
Before involvement in social activism, Parker had seven years of first-hand experience in the grip of welfare dependency. Now, as a social policy consultant, she is bringing new energy to policy discussions on how to transition America’s poor from government dependency.
She is a sought after expert on Capitol Hill and for national radio, television, and print interviews, nationwide.
Parker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and business from Woodbury University and has received numerous awards and commendations for her work on public policy issues. She consults with Republican legislators on numerous urban issues, has lectured on anti-poverty initiatives at more than 180 colleges and universities and serves on the advisory boards for several national organizations.
Parker’s personal transformation from welfare dependent to conservative crusader has been chronicled by ABC’s 20/20; Rush Limbaugh; Readers Digest; James Dobson; The 700 Club; Dr. George Grant; Christianity Today; James Robison; Newsmax, Charisma, and World Magazine.
Other major accomplishments include speaking at the 1996 Republican National Convention, and hosting a documentary on poverty with the BBC in London.
She has debated Jesse Jackson on various headline issues; she fought for school choice on Larry King Live; she defended welfare reform on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and she debated health care reform against Michael Moore on ABC’s The View with host Barbara Walters.
Currently, Parker is a regular commentator on CNN, TBN, CSPAN, CBN, and FOX News. She is also working on her next book: “How the Poor Get Rich.”
In 2010, she ran for the Republican Congressional seat in California’s 37th District and was unanimously nominated. Though she did not win the seat, she more than doubled Republican votes in the district.
In addition to heading CURE, Parker is a syndicated columnist for Scripps News Service, offering weekly op-eds to more than 300 newspapers and internet news sites worldwide, including the Boston Herald, the Dallas Morning News, the Orange County Register, the Korean Times, the Washington Examiner, and the Stars and Stripes.
The Young America’s Foundation is a sponsor for this event.
All Point of View events are free and open to the public, but seating is limited.
The Point of View speaker series began in the fall of 2003 through the generosity of anonymous donors. The series is designed to bring to campus a wide variety of voices and opinions that challenge prevailing political and social views. Past speakers have included pro-family movement leader Phyllis Schlafly, William Kristol, one of the nation’s leading political analysts, and David Horowitz, a former 1960s radical turned conservative leader.
TOM PERRY