The line for the Illini Union Board’s “An Evening with Marlee Matlin” stretched nearly from the entrance of the Illini Rooms to the front hall of the Union.
The conversation was lively, revolving around Sign Language.
Many people came to see Marlee Matlin’s, Academy Award and Golden Globe winning actress, lecture. Not only is Matlin an actress with an extensive resume, appearing in many feature films and television shows like “The West Wing,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Addition” and “Dancing with the Stars,” she has been deaf since she was 18 months-old. However, this did not prevent her from delivering an hour long program to a full audience of both the hearing and deaf communities.
“What’s really fundamental to us (the Illini Union Board) is diversity and bringing different people together—getting people to see understand people’s viewpoints. And so this is one of those instances people that don’t usually think about, the deaf community,” said Obaid Sarvana, president of the Illini Union Board. “Usually diversity conversations are focused around race, culture, that type of thing. The deaf community is a community in itself…so this is a really important opportunity for people to learn about that community.”
Matlin is the youngest actress ever to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, which she was awarded for her role in the film “Children of a Lesser God,” when she was 19.
Through her interpreter, Jack Jason, Matlin recounted her early career and life, including her 1987 Golden Globe and Academy Awards, addiction to marijuana and cocaine, and recovery at the Betty Ford Clinic in California. Afterward, she and Jack took questions from both the deaf and hearing members of the audience.
“I’ve seen her in different shows and movies and I saw that she was the youngest and only deaf winner of an academy award,” said Lauren Waller, senior in LAS. “I am taking away a little more understanding (of the deaf community), because I’m really not around a lot of deaf people. It was really nice to be around her being comic and fun about it.”
Waller also said it was inspiring to hear all of the things that Marlee Matlin had been through during her career.
“I learned a lot more about her life and different struggles she went through,” said Maura Kramer, senior in AHS. A speech and hearing sciences major, Maura said she had already known about Matlin and the deaf community, but enjoyed hearing her personal story.
The event concluded with a book signing of Matlin’s autobiography, “I’ll Scream Later.” [Source]
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