Author Tyler Merritt will speak with Las Vegas Academy of the Arts students on Monday, April 4 in two special assemblies. "As a 6'2" dreadlocked black man living in the South, Merritt is well aware of stereotypes and their potentially dangerous consequences. In response, Merritt has devoted his creativity to bringing his ethos of "Love. Learn. Create." to life through his words and videos as part of The Tyler Merritt Project."
Released September 2021, I Take My Coffee Black: Reflections on Tupac, Musical Theater, Faith, and Being Black in America includes two chapters that reflect on his time at Las Vegas Academy. Fellow Las Vegan and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel wrote the forward to Tyler's book, and Tyler has appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Released in 2018 by the Tyler Merritt Project, his video "Before You Call The Cops" has been seen by over 100 million people worldwide and voted this year as a Top 20 video of the year by NowThisPolitics.
Merritt takes his audiences along with him on a journey of contradictions: at turns, both funny and sad, mysterious and relatable, commonplace and dangerous, he shines a light on "full-spectrum humanity" (The New York Times) that makes an impactful and relevant message.
"He is a wonderfully genuine person who loves this school. His book is an excellent insight into society from his perspective," said LVA Development Director Brian Downey.
This event is not open to the public.
