ECU Voyages Series features an evening with LeVar Burton
Emmy award winner LeVar Burton to visit ECU later this month.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (11/04/2024) — East Carolina University’s Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences will welcome actor, director and literacy advocate LeVar Burton to campus on Nov. 14 for the 18th season of the Voyages of Discovery Series. In keeping with this year’s theme of trailblazing tales: telling the stories of our communities, Burton will answer questions from the audience as he offers insights into his life and the importance of authenticity and dynamic expression.
Burton is an Emmy and Peabody award winner known for his roles as Kunte Kinte in the 1977 ABC television miniseries “Roots” and as chief engineer Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” However, he has said he is most proud of his role as host and executive producer of the beloved PBS children’s series “Reading Rainbow.” Airing from 1983 to 2009, it was not only one of the longest-running children’s television shows in history but also one of the most acclaimed, earning more than 200 awards.
As a lifelong literacy advocate, Burton has dedicated decades to encouraging children to read. In 2017, the long-standing literacy nonprofit, Reading is Fundamental, acquired Burton’s Skybrary reading app to provide access to millions of children at home and school. Committed to improving children’s education through the latest pioneering technologies, Burton partnered with Osmo’s Reading Adventure, an innovative technology that uses speech recognition and digital storytelling to teach children to read. In 2023, he premiered his first documentary, “The Right to Read,” a film that positions the literacy crisis in America as a civil rights issue.
Most recently, he launched LeVar Burton Entertainment with a mission to create content that fosters empathy, champions diversity and builds community. Under this banner, Burton develops projects in film, television, podcasting and publishing. Now in its 13th season, his popular podcast, “LeVar Burton Reads,” has produced more than 200 episodes and boasts 25 million downloads.
Burton continues to exercise his passion for storytelling as the award-winning author of “The Rhino who Swallowed a Storm,” and “A Kid’s Book About Imagination.” Burton launched his first book club with Fable, a digital book club community, and has a partnership with Masterclass.
He has received six NAACP awards, a Peabody, a Grammy and 15 Emmys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Inaugural Children’s and Family Emmy Awards. With more than 4 million social media followers, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a dedicated park in his hometown of Sacramento, California, Burton has the unique ability to communicate and connect with all ages, ethnicities and socioeconomic groups.
Tickets for the event are available through the ECU Central Ticket Office.
Each 7 p.m. Voyages presentation is free for ECU faculty, staff and students. Tickets are required. Visit the Voyages of Discovery Series website for additional information and options for free access with an ECU 1 Card. Questions may be directed to thcas@ecu.edu. Individuals requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should call 252-737-1018 or email ada-coordinator@ecu.ecu at least one week before the event.
The series is made possible through contributions from Harriot College’s Dean’s Advancement Council, university and community organizations, and many additional friends and supporters. For more information or to contribute, visit Support the Series.
###
East Carolina University News Services
Howard House, 1001 E. Fifth Street
Greenville, NC 27858
ecunews@ecu.edu
Phone: 252-328-6481
News Services