HAMBURG, N.Y. – Dr. Tricia Rose, acclaimed author, commentator, and social critic, will present “Imagining Justice: Martin Luther King, Jr., and African American Culture of Social Change” as the keynote speaker for Hilbert College’s 6th Annual Commemoration Celebration in memory of Dr. King to be held on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 4 p.m. in William E. Swan Auditorium.
Few scholars are honest enough to address the most difficult and yet richest areas of our culture in an effort to debunk the societal myths and stigmas that plague our psyches in the way Dr. Rose does. Born and raised in Harlem and the Bronx in New York, Rose’s sophisticated and yet accessible writings and lectures address social inequalities with sharp analysis, humor and generous spirit.
Dr. Rose is most well known for her ground-breaking book on the emergence of hip hop culture. Her first book on Hip Hop --Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America was listed as one of the “Top Books of the Twentieth Century” by Black Issues in Higher Education is considered a foundational book in the history and study of hip hop.
Rose continued her interest in tackling under-examined but vital social issues by writing one of the only oral histories of black women’s sexuality, Longing to Tell: Black Women Talk About Sexuality and Intimacy. Her 2008 book, The Hip Hop Wars challenges the contemporary state of hip hop and examines the possibility of reincarnating the progressive heart of what hip hop once was and still can be.
Rose received a BA in Sociology from Yale University and her Ph.D. from Brown University in the field of American Studies. She has taught at several of the nation’s most esteemed educational institutions like NYU, University of California at Santa Cruz, and at her alma mater Brown University where she is currently Director of the Center for the Studies of Race and Ethnicity in America.
She is regularly featured as an expert commentator on NPR, CNN, MSNBC and other national and local media outlets. More of her work and comments can be found in articles appearing in magazines and newspapers such as Time, Essence, The New York Times and The Village Voice as well as on her website, www.triciarose.com. You can stay connected with Dr. Rose on Facebook by searching Tricia Rose and on Twitter @ProfTriciaRose.
For more information or to make advance reservations contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at oma@hilbert.edu or 716-926-8835.