As a celebrity philanthropist, Jaden Smith, rapper and son of Will Smith, will join Kent State for Parents and Families Weekend for a Q&A on his charity, JUSTWater. The charity was created in 2015 as a beverage brand to counteract water pollution and cluttered beaches.

Smith will join the moderated discussion at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 in Cartwright Hall. Students can get up to five free tickets, and Smith has been on USG’s radar for a while, according to Matt Clark, director of programming for Undergraduate Student Government.

The moderator has not been decided yet; USG is considering looking at a student moderator but hasn’t made any final decisions.

“He does a lot of cool work with his charity, and we thought it was a good opportunity to use our programming resources for somebody that’s more educational than maybe the traditional concert would be,” Clark said.

In deciding who comes to Kent for events, Clark said USG works with booking agents for appearances, and they got in contact with Smith’s agent to contract him for the event.

Smith’s work with water insecurity, especially domestically, is something Clark said people often take for granted.

“I’m hoping it gives students perspective and really inspires people to get out there and use whatever platform they may have,” Clark said. “Obviously, they don’t have as big of a platform as Jaden (Smith) does, but just go out, make a difference, contribute to the community and make it better.”

Kaitlyn Finchler is digital manager. Contact her at [email protected].