The book was Wright's effort to portray, in a way "so hard and deep" that readers would have to face it, the dehumanizing effects of institutionalized racial discrimination.

Wright didn't have to look far for evidence of that when he arrived in Chapel Hill; as a black man, he wasn't allowed to stay at any of the hotels in town. He had to take a room in a boarding house while he worked with Green.

The tone will be rather different this weekend, when UNC will honor Wright and his influential works in a centennial celebration of his birth. Wright's daughter, Julia Wright, will be on hand to participate in the events, which will include staged readings, lectures and an original stage production that will weave together narratives of Wright's life, performed scenes from his works and letters, film footage and live music.

All events will be held Saturday and Sunday on the UNC campus, and all are free and open to the public. Reserved tickets are available.

Richard Wright, born in 1908, is honored today as one of the finest writers of black literature. He was an author, poet and essayist who explored and exposed social injustices toward the black community and highlighted racial inequalities. His best-known works were "Native Son" and the autobiographical "Black Boy."

"Native Son" tells the story of Bigger Thomas, a 20-year old black man who accidentally kills the daughter of the family for whom he works as a chauffeur. The story of his struggle and the eventual realization of his identity challenged the novel's readers, and society in general, to acknowledge the profound effects that racial discrimination had on its victims.

Green, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "In Abraham's Bosom" and "The Lost Colony," invited Wright to UNC to work with him to adapt "Native Son" for the stage.

While Wright was in Chapel Hill, some community members protested when they heard he had been invited as a guest in a white woman's home, said Adam Versenyi, the Milly S. Barranger Distinguished term professor of dramatic art at UNC and dramaturg for PlayMakers Repertory Company.

"Green's cousin was seen the next day in front of Sutton's brandishing a pistol and calling for men to join him in running Wright out of town," Versenyi said. "Green tried to reason with his cousin to no avail and then spent the night in the bushes outside of Wright's boarding house hoping to be able to head off any conflict."

Although Wright faced difficulties then, his collaboration with Green resulted in a stage production of "Native Son" that was a commercial and critical success on Broadway.

This week's centennial celebration will include a series of presentations and discussions:

• The New Traditions Theatre Company will kick off the celebration Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a staged reading of Green's adaptation of "Native Son" in Gerrard Hall.
• A colloquium examining Wright's literary, social and political influence will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. in Hyde Hall. Presented by the Institute for the Arts and Humanities, the conference will include Jerry Ward and Margaret Bauer and Wright's daughter, Julia Wright, presenting a series of discussions about Wright's work and accomplishments.
• The weekend will culminate Sunday with the Richard Wright Centennial Commemorative at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Sponsored by Carolina Performing Arts, the original production will include a dramatic narrative of Wright's life and performed readings of his work. Wright's letters, poetry, and music, along with film clips and documentary footage, will be interwoven throughout the performance, and Julia Wright will present a selection from her father's last, unfinished work, "A Father's Law."

Broadway performer Keith Randolph Smith, playwright and actor Keith Glover, John Feltch, Elizabeth Lewis Corley, and members of the New Traditions Theatre Company will perform, along with blues musicians Lightnin' Wells and John Dee Holeman. The performance is free and open to the public.

Reserved tickets for both the staged reading Saturday and the commemorative performance Sunday are available from the Memorial Hall box office at 843-3333. Colloquium tickets are available through Carry Matthews at the Institute for Arts and Humanities at crmatthe@email.unc.edu.

Event coordinator Jonah Garson looks forward to celebrating Wright and the time he spent here.

"The story of Wright's time in Chapel Hill is especially compelling," he said. "It is a rare pleasure to contextualize a figure of his stature within a place so dear and familiar."