Oprah Winfrey to Host Fundraiser for Maya Angelou Research Center

October 18, 2004

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey and best-selling author Maya Angelou will host a benefit gospel concert for the Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center on Friday, Nov. 26, at 6 p.m., at St. Peter’s World Outreach Center, 3683 Old Lexington Rd. Tickets will go on sale to the general public in mid-November.

The concert will feature Grammy Award- and Stellar Award-nominated gospel singer Joshua Nelson. Nelson’s voice has been compared to that of the late Mahalia Jackson, one of his greatest musical influences. His performance will follow comments by Winfrey and a presentation by Angelou.

“We are delighted to have the support of Oprah Winfrey and her gift of this exciting event,” said Kristy F. Woods, M.D., director of the Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health. “In addition to raising money for the center’s endowment, we hope this event will bring attention to the disparities in minority health in our region and our nation.”

The center is seeking to raise a $20 million endowment.

Angelou, a poet, author and civil-rights activist is Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.

Concert tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster. For information, contact Paula Robinson, director of development, at 336-713-7600.

The Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health was established to close the gap in health, quality of life, and lifespan differences between minority populations and the general population. It is a collaboration between Wake Forest University, its medical school, Winston-Salem State University, and Forsyth County.

The center’s focus includes advancing research on health issues affecting minorities, developing health care approaches based on research findings, promoting medical career development among underrepresented minorities, and providing outreach programs and national symposia to promote these objectives.

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Media Contacts: Jim Steele, jsteele@wfubmc.edu, Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, or Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu, at 336-716-4587.


About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center: Wake Forest Baptist is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,282 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.


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