BURLINGTON, VT -- Have you ever felt misunderstood due to cultural differences?

Former MTV Real World star and diversity consultant, Mohammed Bilal has helped thousands of people move beyond the sheer tolerance of difference and may be able to help you with his expertise during his visit to Champlain College on Jan. 19.    

Bilal will present his "12 Steps Toward Appreciating Diversity" -- a fun, interactive presentation to students and the public at Champlain College on Monday, Jan. 19 at 6 pm in Alumni Auditorium, 375 Maple St., as part of the College's observance of Martin Luther King Day. The event is free and open to the public.

Bilal describes his talk as "sprinkled with scholarship, hip-hop, and self-reflective narratives that equip the participant with easy, valuable, and powerful tools for appreciating the wondrous diversity around us."

According to Angela Batista, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Champlain College, "Bilal's presentation offers an interesting opportunity to reflect on one's personal beliefs and values and the role we play in building inclusion around us."

Bilal is best known as "the even-tempered, dread- locked rapper guy" on MTV's Real World III: San Francisco. He is also a diversity consultant, a musician, a poet, and an extraordinary writer who educates audiences about some of today's greatest social problems. As facilitator of over 300 diversity presentations and workshops worldwide, his clients have included Lucent Technologies, Progressive, Boston College, Friends of the Children, and the U.S. Treasury.

Bilal has an MA in Diversity Studies and spent 14 years creating fun, innovative ways to educate people about diversity, AIDS and HIV prevention, drug and alcohol abuse, and responsibility. According to his biography, Bilal's positive energy, unmistakable talent, and ethics have made him one of today's leading role models and top diversity consultants. Through his AIDS awareness presentation, he offers solutions on how to better accept the reality of HIV and AIDS. His "12 Steps to Appreciating Diversity" has helped thousands to embrace and incorporate social justice and equity into their daily lives.

Midnight Voices, the live instrumentation Hip-Hop band Bilal started with his best friend, Will Power, in 1990, has toured worldwide and has won numerous awards including two SF Whammies and one Bay Area Music Award for best Hip-Hop group. Bilal's first solo album, beatbox metafiction, is already being called groundbreaking for its sensitive lyrics and use of world music.

Bilal has collaborated and/or performed with such luminaries as Santana, The Ohio Players, Michele Shocked, Public Enemy, Ben Harper, De La Soul, Goapele, Martin Luther, and Primus. His music has been featured in the Sundance Award-winning film, Drylongso, and on TV shows such as Moesha and NBC's mini-series Kingpin. Currently, Bilal produces innovative new media as managing editor of 247 Townhall (www.247townhall.org), a web channel dedicated to young adults and positive change.

For more information, call 860-27804 or visit www.champlain.edu/diversity.

Champlain College was founded in 1878 and currently has nearly 2,000 undergraduate students. To learn more about Champlain College, visit www.champlain.edu

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Speaker: "12 Steps Toward Appreciating Diversity" - Mohammed Bilal, Mon., Jan. 19, 6 pm, Alumni Auditorium, Champlain College, 375 Maple St., Burlington. Bilal will present his "12 Steps Toward Appreciating Diversity" - a fun, interactive presentation to students and the public as part of the College's observance of Martin Luther King Day. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 860-2780 or visit www.champlain.edu/diversity.