The second Melvin Van Peebles Symposium, featuring actress and activist Erika Alexander as the keynote speaker, will honor the life and legacy of the 1953 OWU graduate and accomplished filmmaker whose work broke through the boundaries of race and gender. The theme of the 2025 biennial symposium is "Disruption! Signal Fires, Reckoning, and Jubilee Through Black Art." It will be held in various locations on the Ohio Wesleyan campus and feature both free and ticketed events and include a public screening of the film "American Fiction," featuring Alexander. Additional presenters will include visual artists Alicia Brown and Lance Johnson with dancer Candice Flows. General admission tickets are $135 per person, or $155 after March 1. Discounted rates are available for Ohio Wesleyan alumni and employees. For the latest schedule of events or to purchase tickets, visit owu.edu/VanPeebles.