News Article

Larry “Cocoa” Welton, who grew up in the housing projects of South Los Angeles amid the Black Nationalist Movement of the 1960s, is scheduled to discuss, “Is God Really Everything?” from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 2 in the Foley Center Teleconference Room.

Welton’s lecture, sponsored by the Gonzaga University Office of Intercultural Relations, is free and open to the public.
Welton, who received an honorary doctorate from Guilin University of Electronic Science and Technology, was raised surrounded by gang violence, drug use, police brutality, and poverty. Welton said he overcame a life on the streets through a pursuit of knowledge. Today he uses this knowledge as a powerful weapon and encourages audiences to think for themselves, and challenge, question and reflect.

Welton has spent the majority of his life studying Eastern and Western religions and has acquired a proficiency in both theoretical and applied metaphysics, integrating those ideas with ideas derived from medical science, history, astronomy, quantum physics, astrophysics, psychology, environmental studies, and a global affairs.

The result is a multidimensional, multifaceted understanding of the universe, life, and human behavior, which he defines as the “New Integration.” Welton said he is writing a book about the “New Integration,” and is in the production process of a full-length documentary entitled “From South Central to Shanghai,” a story about his journey.

For more information about the discussion, contact Ki’Jev Gurley-King, the intercultural programming coordinator, at (509) 323-4105, via e-mail or visit Gonzaga’s intercultural relations office online.