BREE NEWSOME BASS. Community Organizer, Activist, and Contemporary Civil Rights Icon. This contemporary civil rights icon first garnered national attention for her daring act of peaceful disobedience in June 2015. Following the brutal murder of nine black parishioners at Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston, S.C., Bree climbed the flagpole at the South Carolina statehouse and pulled down the Confederate Battle flag as a protest racist symbolism. Her arrest galvanized public opinion and led to the permanent removal of the flag. As a recognized and celebrated voice on the topics of injustice and racial discrimination, Bree brings to light the importance of leadership development in building and sustaining social movements. Hosted by the Upperman African American Cultural Center, Black Student Union, and Department of Campus Life. Tickets are free for UNCW students, staff, faculty, and general admission through the UNCW Kenan Auditorium Box Office.