to Haiti , Mali , Namibia , Senegal , South Africa , and Egypt . Stepping right into his new role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Glover traveled to Ethiopia from 24 – 29 November, 2004 to raise awareness of the long-lasting impact that landmines have on children. Over 80 per cent of the 15,000–20,000 landmine victims each year are civilians, and at least one in five are children. He visited areas that were heavily mined during the war and met with leaders, mine-survivors and mine risk education school club members to listen to and tell their stories to the world. Immediately after his field visit, he stopped in Geneva , Switzerland where he held a number of press conferences and conducted other media work.
In February 2005, Glover visited Ethiopia , where he chaired the opening of the Africa Unite Symposium. Africa Unite was created by the Bob Marley Foundation and the Rita Marley Foundation, with support from UNICEF and partners. The three-day symposium held in Addis Ababa brought selected participants from the field of academia, art and activism together with a prominent group of young activists and artists from the continent and the African Diaspora. The discussion focused on the issues affecting the future of young people in Africa . At the end of the symposium, Glover and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo helped raise US$40,000 at a benefit concert for ‘Africa Unite'. Also in February 2005, Glover supported the Finnish National Committee by attending meetings and doing media work. In April, Glover visited the UNICEF office in Namibia and saw some UNICEF-assisted projects, while shooting a film.
Glover attended the Fourth International Congress on Culture and Development held in Cuba in June 2005. He spoke about UNICEF and accepted on behalf of UNICEF, a US$1 million cheque from Amway. On 21 September, he recorded PSA for 'Unite for Children. Unite against AIDS' campaign at UNICEF House.
On 21 November, he presented the International Children's Day of Broadcasting Award at the 33rd International Emmy Awards, held in New York . A week later he flew to São Paulo , Brazil to attend the 10 th Anniversary of the UNICEF-Itau Award promoting education as a right of every child.
A native of San Francisco , California , Glover attended San Francisco State University and trained at the Black Actor's Workshop of the American Conservatory. He appeared in numerous stage productions, including Island , MacBeth , Sizwe Banzi is Dead and Athol Fugard's Master Harold and the Boys , which first brought the actor national recognition.
He has received an ACE Award and several NAACP Image Awards for his film and television performances, including Best Actor in Lethal Weapon , Beloved , and HBO's production of Mandela . Glover received Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in the television mini-series Lonesome Dove , and for Turner Network Television's Freedom Song .
Glover has also produced a number of films for theatre and television.
As someone who is passionate about his community activism and philanthropic efforts, Glover is deeply involved with the Vanguard Public Foundation based in San Francisco . In 2001, he assumed the board chairmanship of TransAfrica Forum, the African-American lobbying organization on Africa and the Caribbean ; and he actively serves on the board of The Algebra Project, a math empowerment program developed by civil rights veteran Bob Moses. In recognition of his lifetime dedication to public service Glover was honored with the 2002 Marian Anderson Award, 2003 NAACP Chairman's Award, and 2004 BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
December 2005 |
