Marc Lamont Hill Speaker Biography
Activist, Professor, and Leading Intellectual of the
Hip-Hop Generation
An activist, social critic, and one of the nation’s most notable African American leaders, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill is among a new generation of public intellectuals who move with equal ease between Faculty Row and Fraternity Row, “the street” and Main Street.
Award-Winning Journalist
He is currently the host of BET News and VH1 Live, as well as a former political contributor for CNN. An award-winning journalist, Dr. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
Professor of African American Studies
Dr. Hill is Distinguished Professor of African American Studies at Morehouse College. Prior to that, he held positions at Columbia University and Temple University.
Social Justice Activist
Since his days as a youth in Philadelphia, Dr. Hill has been a social justice activist and organizer. He is a founding board member of My5th, a non-profit organization devoted to educating youth about their legal rights and responsibilities. He is also a board member and organizer of the Philadelphia Student Union.
Dr. Hill also works closely with the ACLU Drug Reform Project, focusing on drug informant policy. Over the past few years, he has actively worked on campaigns to end the death penalty and to release numerous political prisoners.
Influential
Ebony Magazine has named him one of America’s 100 most influential Black leaders.
Books
Dr. Hill is the author or co-author of four books: the award-winning Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom Life: Hip-Hop Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity; The Classroom and the Cell: Conversations on Black life in America; Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on The Vulnerable from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond; and Gentrifier (January 2017). He has also published two edited books: Media, Learning, and Sites of Possibility; and Schooling Hip-Hop: New Directions in Hip-Hop Based Education.
Education
Trained as an anthropologist of education, Dr. Hill holds a Ph.D. (with distinction) from the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the intersections between culture, politics, and education.
Marc Lamont Hill Speaking Topics
The War on Youth
In the last 50 years, America's youth have been increasingly marginalized in society. Marc Lamont Hill says we've replaced a language of love, when talking about our youth, with one of blame. America has inflicted injunctions on gangs, legislation against baggy pants, and attacks on rap music, all leading to the propaganda that today's youth are worse than young generations before them. Hill wants to combat the misconceptions plaguing today's youth with an acknowledgement that, as integral to American society's fabric, they are rich with resources rather than social burdens.
Building Community in an Hour of Chaos
Professor, author and cultural critic Dr. Marc Lamont Hill offers a critical analysis of the current social and political moment. By identifying key issues, challenges, controversies and trends that have emerged or lingered during this challenging time. Dr. Hill spotlights the work that must be done to sustain the progress of the freedom struggle. Moving beyond mere critique, he also provides concrete solutions as well as sites of hope and possibility for healing our national, local and university communities.
Why Black Fraternities & Sororities Still Matter
As we enter the 21st century, many people question the role, purpose, and function of Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). In this lecture, Marc Lamont Hill (a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.) argues that Black fraternities and sororities still play a critical role in the Black community. He takes on some of the key issues and challenges faced by BGLOs such as hazing, political engagement, and institution building. Rather than merely spotlighting problems, Dr. Hill also offers concrete solutions and shares his vision for building and sustaining strong 21st-century Black fraternities and sororities.
The Classroom & the Cell: Conversations on Black Life in America
Race, Politics & American Life
The War on Education
Marc Lamont Hill Books
Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond
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Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom Life: Hip-Hop Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity
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The Classroom and The Cell: Conversations on Black Life in America
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