Actor and former NFL player Terry Crews is coming to Edmonton to speak at a special event, the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters announced on Wednesday.
“Men and boys play a unique role in the prevention of violence against women and Terry Crews is on a mission to challenge modern day masculinity and what manhood really means,” Christie Lavan with the ACWS said in a release.
Crews is known as one of the “silence breakers” of the #MeToo movement, the council said. He was one of the people recognized by Time Magazine as 2017 Person of the Year.
“He is the perfect person to lead us in a bold conversation about how each one of us plays our part in creating safer communities and ultimately a better world,” Lavan said.
In December 2017, Crews filed a complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court, stating that he was subjected to sexual assault, sexual harassment, gender violence and emotional distress during and after a February 2016 incident in which he said he was repeatedly groped by a talent executive.
The lawsuit recounted Crews’ allegations that Adam Venit groped him at a Hollywood party and detailed the actor’s efforts to see Venit disciplined after the incident.
The two settled the lawsuit in September 2018.
In a video released by the ACWS about Crews’ visit, the actor said he has been sharing his story and talking to people all over the world about “what it means to be a man” and how people can change things for themselves and the women and girls they care about.
“Learning about this has changed my life for the better,” he said. “Now is the time for men, young and old, to define for themselves what being a man is all about.”
The Feb. 20, 2019 event is open to the public and tickets range from $75 to $95. Proceeds will support the ACWS’ programs and services.
– With files from Katie Scott/Global News
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