Actress Laverne Cox inspires at New Narratives event

Laverne Cox, a Daytime Emmy winner and one of Time‘s 100 most influential people of 2015, appeared at UCI’s Crystal Cove Auditorium on Tuesday, May 12, in front of an audience of about 450 Anteaters. Her talk, “Ain’t I a Woman,” was part of the New Narratives series hosted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs; Associated Students of UCI; and the LGBT Resource Center. Cox, the first transgender woman of color to have a leading role in a mainstream scripted show, stars in the hit Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black.” In her speech, the Alabama native recalled being bullied and harassed as a child and knowing in her “heart, soul and spirit” that she was a girl. “If you find something you love, it can be lifesaving,” Cox said of discovering her passion for the performing arts. She encouraged the audience to embrace all aspects of their identities. “I stand before you an artist, an actress, a sister and a daughter — and I believe it’s important to name the various intersected components of my multiple identities because I’m not just one thing, and neither are you,” Cox said. Her appearance marked the sixth and final installment of this year’s New Narratives series, which aims to help students gain essential cultural knowledge and skills in intergroup communication and collaboration. Previous guests have included author and scholar William Perez and Academy Award-winning musician and actor Common.