International spoken word poet Amal Kassir will present the lecture, “The Muslim on the Airplane,” as part of the Mohawk Valley Community College Cultural Series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, in Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, at the College’s Utica Campus. Admission is $5 general, $2 for MVCC employees, and free for MVCC students at www.mvcc.edu/tickets.

Kassir is a Muslim woman, born and raised in Denver, Colo., to a German-Iowan mother and a Syrian father. She has conducted workshops, given lectures, and recited her poetry in venues ranging from youth prisons, to orphanages to refugee camps to universities to churches and community spaces for the public. Her TED Talk, “The Muslim on the Airplane,” has been viewed almost 3 million times. In her talk, she addresses the importance of crossing “the threshold of fear” that prevents many people from talking to others because of their appearance or faith, and how simply asking their name can change a person’s mindset and open the door to understanding. Learn more about her at www.amalkassir.com.

Tickets for all Cultural Series events can be purchased in person at the MVCC Box Office, Information Technology Building room 106, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, and at the College Stores on the Utica and Rome Campuses; online any time at www.mvcc.edu/tickets; or over the phone by calling 315-731-5721. Most Cultural Series events are $5 or less to the general public and many are free. Events include concerts, comedians, lectures, film screenings and discussions, workshops, family fun events, and more. The Cultural Series is brought to you by MVCC’s Cultural Events Council, in collaboration with MVCC’s Program Board, with significant support from the Student Activity Fee. The series maintains a major social media presence that can be followed on Facebook at “MVCC Cultural Series.” For the complete series lineup and ticket sales, visit www.mvcc.edu/campus-events.