Michael Ealy Is Pulling Up To North Carolina A&T’s ‘Quarter Zips and Matcha Moods’ Series

This conversation is crucial for young men

By Lillien Cirrino

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Spring 2026 edition of the Chancellor’s Speaker Series will host actor Michael Ealy on Tuesday, April 7, at 6 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium for “Quarter Zips and Matcha Moods,” while alum Christian Robinson will facilitate the conversation.

Tickets for the speaker series are now available at the University Ticket Office in Brown Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

The name “Quarter Zips and Matcha Moods” references a social media trend in which young Black men are depicted wearing quarter zips with an iced matcha latte in hand—symbolizing their multidimensional identity and style.

The discussion will focus primarily on responsibility, intentionality, lifestyle, and goals for college-aged men, and explore how these areas influence development and maturity. This conversation is crucial for young men to be having amid this ever-changing digital era.

Ealy is best known for his roles in Barbershop, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Takers, and Think Like a Man, and will star in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming limited series The Greatest, about the legendary boxer and civil rights leader Muhammad Ali. In addition to acting, he has served as an executive producer and starred as the title character in the 2015 Sony thriller The Perfect Guy, which opened No. 1 at the box office, and earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.

Robinson, the moderator for this event, earned his B.S. in economics in 2012 from A&T. During his time at A&T, Robinson was fully immersed in his collegiate journey, serving as SGA president, which was one of his many foundations for his work at the U.S. Department of Education under the Obama administration, where he worked in various positions. Robinson is now an attorney who focuses on advising startup founders.