WFU to dedicate Maya Angelou Hall Feb. 17

On Friday, Feb. 17, Wake Forest University will hold a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for Maya Angelou Hall, a residence hall named for poet, author, professor and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.

This is a Wake Forest University community event and not open to the general public. However, media are invited to attend.

The ceremony will be livestreamed at go.wfu.edu/angelouhall.

Angelou taught generations of Wake Forest students as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at the University from 1982 until her death in 2014.

The 3 p.m. ceremony will include remarks by Angelou’s grandson, Elliott Jones. Legendary singer and songwriter Valerie Ashford Simpson will perform a musical tribute.

Wake Forest leaders – including President Nathan Hatch, Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue, Maya Angelou Presidential Chair Melissa Harris-Perry, Dean of Residence Life and Housing Donna McGalliard and Chief Diversity Officer Barbee Oakes – will also speak.

The official ribbon-cutting will take place following the dedication program inside the parlor of the residence hall. Media should plan to arrive no later than 2:30 p.m.

The stately 76,110-square-foot, five-story building designed to house 224 students is located on the south side of campus. The residence hall includes a classroom, study spaces, a media/game room, kitchens, and a recreation lounge. The Residence Life and Housing offices are located on the ground floor.

The building was completed in December and opened in January. Currently, sophomores, juniors and seniors – many of whom studied abroad during the fall semester — live in the residence hall. Beginning in the fall, Maya Angelou Hall will house first-year students only.

Read more about Maya Angelou Hall.