TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility and the Alabama Forensics Council are presenting “Speak the Truth,” a spoken word event celebrating ethical and inspirational communication, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Ferguson Theater.

Student members of the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences’ Alabama Forensics Council will perform a variety of inspirational works.

Under the leadership of Frank Thompson, the Alabama Forensics Council is the official competitive speech organization for UA students. The student teams have won national championships and are considered among the premier speech groups in the country.

Linking various artistic and academic disciplines with a commitment to bring ethical, justice-based communications into politics and public life, the subject matter performed by the Alabama Forensics Council participants in Speak the Truth focuses on performance works that have inspired activists and movements for social change.

Speak The Truth hopes to create a wider interest in ethics-based spoken word poetry and to encourage students on campus, as well as students from area high schools, to write and perform their own poetry and persuasive texts.

UA Forensics Council members will perform pieces from the following genres of competitive collegiate forensics:

Persuasive speaking – an original speech by the student designed to inspire, reinforce or change the beliefs, attitudes, values or actions of the audience.

Communication analysis – an original speech by the student designed to offer an explanation and/or evaluation of a communication event such as a speech, speaker, movement, poster, film, campaign, etc., through the use of rhetorical principals.

Poetry interpretation – a selection or selections of poetry of literary merit, which may be drawn from more than one source. A primary focus of this event is on the development of language.

Speak the Truth will highlight performances by the following UA Forensics Council members: Amanda Brasher, Taylor Curtis, Nick Fox, Sonequa Martin, Austin McDonald and Alyssa Reinecker.

The event is free and open to the public.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.