Hip Hop topic of next Racial Legacies & Learning

October 6, 2005

Miami University Hamilton welcomes Yvonne Bynoe as the keynote speaker for Racial Legacies & Learning XIV: How To Talk About Race, a town hall meeting to be held Thursday, Oct. 20, beginning at 7pm in the Harry T. Wilks Conference Center.

Yvonne Bynoe is an author and lecturer whose work combines the relevant issues of politics, culture and economics within the context of American popular culture. Bynoe has been called one of the most important voices of her generation. Currently, Bynoe is a regular commentator on the National Public Radio (NPR) program, News and Notes with Ed Gordon.

Bynoe is the author of the book Stand and Deliver: Political Activism, Leadership and Hip Hop Culture (Soft Skull Press, 2004). Her second book, The Encyclopedia of Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture (Greenwood Press), is scheduled to be published in 2006. Her writings have been included in university curricula across the country.

Bynoe is a co-founder and the former president of the Urban Think Tank Institute. The mission of Urban Think Tank Institute, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit, organization founded in 2000, is to educate and engage young adults about relevant policy issues and to develop new political leadership.

During her lecture, Bynoe will focus on the Hip Hop Culture, the rise of political rap and gender roles in Hip Hop.

The Racial Legacies series, which is free and open to the public, provides opportunities for dialogue, critical thinking, and learning while emphasizing the importance of taking action and making improvements in race relations in both personal and professional settings.