Bryan Nichols – Associate Professor of Music, Penn State What makes talented musicians so good at what they do? There’s plenty of evidence that people can be born that way.…
A.D. Carson – Assistant Professor of Hip-Hop, University of Virginia Hip-hop culture is often recognized as being born on Aug. 11, 1973. That was about seven months after Roe v. Wade, the…
One in ten South Africans go hungry every day. As a result malnutrition levels are high. Malnutrition has three simultaneous dimensions: undernourishment, micronutrient deficiencies and over-nutrition. These can manifest in stunting…
Phuti Sepuru – Lecturer in Jazz, University of Pretoria Nduduzo Makhathini is a prolific South African pianist, improviser, healer, educator, scholar and storyteller. He possesses a gift that enables him to…
Rashad Shabazz – Associate Professor at the School of Social Transformation, Arizona State University It’s been six years since Prince’s death, but fascination about the artist, the man and his…
Nick Lehr – Arts + Culture Editor To commemorate African-American Music Appreciation Month this June, Vice-President Kamala Harris released a Spotify playlist with songs spanning genres and generations, from TLC’s “Waterfalls”…
Peter Dreier – E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics, Occidental College In our new book, “Baseball Rebels: The Players, People, and Social Movements That Shook Up the Game and Changed…
Lisa D. Tinsley For as long as albums have existed, they have offered listeners wonder, hope, truth and reality concerning the state of the human condition. This is achieved through a…
Aram Goudsouzian – Bizot Family Professor of History, University of Memphis In the summer of 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. introduced the keynote speaker for the 10th-anniversary convention banquet of…
Jabari Evans – Assistant Professor of Race and Media, University of South Carolina Before he was arrested in December 2011, Chief Keef was a 16-year-old budding rap star. He’d released…