In honor of Black History Month, the Office of Multicultural Affairs within the Division of Student Affairs is hosting a series of events in February. A highlight of this year’s month-long celebration is the commemorative speaker Brittney Cooper, assistant professor of women’s and gender studies and Africana studies at Rutgers University and co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective. Cooper will speak Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse 3. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Brittney Cooper
A scholar of black women’s intellectual history, black feminist thought, and race and gender in popular culture, Cooper writes extensively about both historic and contemporary iterations of black feminist theorizing. Cooper’s first book “Race Women: Gender and the Making of a Black Public Intellectual Tradition” is under review with a major university press. A self-avowed hip hop generation feminist, Cooper also has a forthcoming article on Sapphire’s “Push” as a hip hop novel.
“Through our events during Black History Month, we celebrate the rich and diverse backgrounds of black people all over the world and their struggles for freedom and equality,” says James K. Duah-Agyeman, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “I encourage the SU community to attend as many of these events as possible, especially the commemorative lecture with Cooper. I anticipate she will inspire us to create positive change in our personal and professional lives.”
Recently named to The Root 100—2013, an annual list of top Black influencers, Cooper is committed to doing accessible public scholarship that respects people inside and outside of the academy as knowledge producers. She is a regular contributor to Salon.com, and her cultural commentary has appeared in several publications and online sites, including Ebony.com, TheRoot.com, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, TV Guide, Huffington Post Live, Colorlines.com, NPR and Al Jazeera America.
In addition to the commemorative speaker, comedian/writer/producer Larry Wilmore, “senior black correspondent” for the Emmy Award-winning “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” will visit the Newhouse School on Wednesday, Feb. 12, as part of the school’s Leaders in Communications 13th Annual Conversation on Race and Entertainment Media. Wilmore will take part in a Q&A session with Charisse L’Pree, assistant professor of communications, at 7:30 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse 3.
Other featured events for Black History Month include:
Download the full Black History Month calendar. For more information, contact Cedric Bolton, coordinator of student engagement, at 315-443-9676.
