Former professional football player and current educator, entrepreneur, and NFL agent Ron Freeman will begin the 2021-22 Dr. Max Pickerill Lecture Series at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7. The presentation will be in Frahm Theatre on the CCC campus. 

Freeman earned graduate and undergraduate degrees from Pittsburg State University. He later played for the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL, and the Pittsburgh Maulers, Jacksonville Bulls, and the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League. He has lived in the Kansas City area since leaving the game.

He served as the Kansas City urban director before launching his coaching and speaking business. His latest venture is working with the education community to develop leadership at the administrative level. It was in that work that he saw the need to rethink race.

As he grew up during the 1960s, Freeman got a first-hand look at Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights movement. His passion for history motivated him to dig deeper into race matters, and the resulting book, "Rethinking Race," references the events that inspired him to see race differently.

Freeman will speak about his experiences and provide insight on current national issues and the possibilities for racial healing.

Masks are expected. The presentation can also be viewed online.

The Dr. Max Pickerill Lecture Series is funded annually by anonymous donors. There is no charge to attend the presentation. For more information, contact Dr. Linda Davis-Stephens at (785) 460-5528.