FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gregg MazzolaDirector of Communications
Southern New Hampshire University
603.314.1461
g.mazzola@snhu.edu
SNHU Hosts Free Screening and Discussion
of ‘Precious’
Manchester, N.H. (Jan. 26, 2010) – Southern New Hampshire University will host a free screening of “Precious” on Thursday, Feb. 25, starting at 6 p.m. at the Dining Center Banquet Hall; doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are required for entry and can be reserved at http://www.snhutickets.com/. A panel discussion will follow.
Based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, “Precious” is set in Harlem in 1987 and is the story of Claireece Precious Jones, a 16-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She’s pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother, a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write.
“SNHU strives to help its students not only survive, but thrive in this ever-changing and increasingly interconnected, complex, world,” said Louisa Martin, SNHU’s director of Diversity. “The screening of ‘Precious’ will provide an opportunity for us to engage in dialogue about important and contemporary social issues.”
The panel will consist of SNHU President Paul LeBlanc, Mary Doyle of Casey Family Services, and UNH Associate Professor of English and African American Studies Reginald A. Wilburn.
Guests are asked to bring a canned good or a gently used sweater or coat. These items will be distributed to local agencies through our Center for Service and Community Involvement.