Cubberley Lecture Series presents
An evening with LeVar Burton
Actor & literacy advocate
In conversation with Professor Maisha T. Winn, the Excellence in Learning Graduate School of Education Professor and Faculty Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning's Equity in Learning Initiative
This event is made possible by the generosity of The Conscious Kid foundation and Stanford’s Ujamaa House.
Thursday, May 7, 2026
5:00 - 6:30 p.m. PST [subject to change]
Stanford University
Registration opens March 30.
How can literacy ignite our imagination, drive curiosity, and provide an engine for lifelong learning? How can educators, parents, and communities further inspire young people to see reading and storytelling as the keys to joyful, engaged, and meaningful lives? In a conversation with Professor Maisha Winn, children’s education champion LeVar Burton shares insights from his career as a legendary storyteller, discusses the future of the written word, and explores the impact of digital technologies on creativity and storytelling.
Speaker
LEVAR BURTON
Burton launched his acting career as a student at the University of Southern California. At 19, he landed the groundbreaking role of Kunta Kinte in the landmark television series Roots. Burton achieved further global acclaim as Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard. However, it has been his role as host and executive producer of the beloved PBS children's series Reading Rainbow of which he is most proud. Airing from 1983 to 2009, it was one of the longest-running children's television shows in history and one of the most acclaimed, earning over 200 awards, including multiple Emmys and a Peabody.
Burton is the recipient of six NAACP Awards, a Peabody, a Grammy, and 14 Emmys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Inaugural Children's & Family Emmys. In 2024, Burton was awarded the National Humanities Medal by the National Endowment of the Humanities. LeVar continues his focus on the importance of literature and storytelling in our everyday lives and is a staunch advocate against the banning of books.
In conversation with
MAISHA T. WINN
Winn is the Excellence in Learning Graduate School of Education Professor and Faculty Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning's Equity in Learning Initiative. She seeks to understand how communities that have been depicted as under-resourced create practices, processes, and institutions of their own—and what we can learn from those examples to build more just, more collaborative, and more equitable futures. Winn is a member of the National Academy of Education and President of the American Educational Research Association. She received her PhD in language, literacy and culture from the University of California, Berkeley.
Know Before You Go
Tickets
- When registration opens, guests may register for one complimentary ticket per person.
Getting here
- Ideas for using public transportation.
Parking
- The Galvez Lot has been reserved and will be available after 4:00 p.m.
Seating
- Seating is general admission, first come, first served for all ticket holders.
- The event will begin on time, please allow plenty of time to get to the venue before the doors open at 4:30 p.m.
- You must be seated in the auditorium by 5:00 p.m. to secure your place.
- We will admit walk-in guests to open seats from 5:00 p.m. to 5:05 p.m.
Accommodations
- For disability-related accommodations, please contact the Diversity & Access Office by April 30 by calling 650.725.0326 or emailing disability.access@stanford.edu.
More information
Holly Materman
holly.materman@stanford.edu
Michileen Oberst
mmoberst@stanford.edu
Learn about past Cubberley Lectures
Stanford Graduate School of Education is grateful to the following Stanford partner and co-sponsor for making this program possible:
