April 2, 2008 

Critically acclaimed author, playwright, singer, and motivational coach D. J. Coleman returns to the B-CU campus this week, bringing with him a message of hope and inspiration. He will speak to B-CU family on April 4, 2008 at 10:20 am in the Heyn Memorial Chapel. The event is sponsored by Student Activities.

When Coleman set sail for college in 1999, he didn’t know that his life would change forever. He discovered a passion for music and writing through his English classes and experiences traveling with Dr. Rebecca Steele and the B-CU concert chorale.

With the guidance of many of the school’s faculty and staff, Coleman decided to produce a stage play, first titled “I Shall Overcome,” and now called “Behind His Mask.” The launch of the play was a tremendous success, performing to a sold out crowd. In 2003, the play was selected for a reading at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem, NC. Alaina Reed Hall from NBC’s “227” and Petri Byrd Hawkins from daytime TV’s “Judge Judy” starred in the reading. Coleman is working on a 2009 production of the play in Atlanta, Georgia.

Coleman has also written a novel entitled Behind His Mask which is scheduled to hit bookstores October 1, 2008. He is currently travelling on a national black college and women’s book group tour.

For more information on up-to-date tour information, photos, contests, and excerpts from the novel, go to: www.BEHINDHISMASK.com