University of Richmond to host panel discussion on hip-hop

February 8, 2016

University of Richmond will host a panel discussion on hip-hop, titled “Politics, Art and Parody in Obamatime.” The event is Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. in Tyler Haynes Commons, room 305. Community members are invited to attend.

The panel will feature five professors who have authored books on the political and social implications of hip-hop. Andrea Simpson, associate professor of political science at the University of Richmond, will moderate the event.

Professors on the panel include:

  • Lakeyta Bonnette, assistant professor of political science at Georgia State University
  • Travis Gosa, assistant professor, Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University
  • Michael Jeffries, associate professor of American studies at Wellesley College
  • Anthony Kwame Harrison, associate professor of sociology at Virginia Tech
  • Erik Nielson, assistant professor, liberal arts at University of Richmond

Nielson’s book, “The Hip Hop & Obama Reader,” co-edited by Gosa, was released last year. The book features original contributions from some of the country’s leading scholars and activists, who offer new perspectives on hip hop’s role in political mobilization, community organizing and voter turnout during the Obama era and beyond. Nielson’s opinion pieces and quotes related to his expertise on hip-hop culture have appeared in dozens of media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone and USA Today.

This event is sponsored by the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and a grant from the Cultural Events Committee. It is part of a series of University of Richmond Black History Month events.

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