KINGSTON, R.I. — March 12, 2015 — The Office of Community, Equity and Diversity at the University of Rhode Island will present the award-winning journalist and Distinguished Professor of African American Studies at Morehouse College, Marc Lamont Hill. Hill will speak to the University community about the “Vital Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in the 21st Century.”
Free and open to the public, the lecture will be held on Saturday, March 28, from 5-6 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Memorial Union, 50 Lower College Rd., Kingston, RI 02881. To register visit the Office of Community, Equity and Diversity website at uri.edu/diversity.
Among a new generation of public intellectuals, Hill has been featured on National Public Radio, in The Washington Post, Essence, The New York Times, and Fox News. Hill offers a fresh, informed, thought-provoking perspective that never fails to challenge and engage. An award-winning scholar, Hill is the author of four books, including “Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom Life: Hip-Hop Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity” and “The Classroom and the Cell: Conversations on Black Life in America.” Hill is the host of HuffPost Live and BET News, and a political contributor for CNN. He has received awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
“We are so pleased to have Dr. Hill address the community. The issue of diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the University and is steeped in our ongoing work,” said Naomi Thompson, associate vice president of Community Equity & Diversity. “The fact that Hill will address the community and keynote the student conference is truly a bonus. We are so proud that our students have created a conference focused on some of the critical issues faced on college campuses and to develop solutions for all to move forward.”
His visit to URI is in collaboration with the first student-created and led conference called “Diversifying Individuals Via Education” (DIVE RI) on March 27-28. The conference is focused on enhancing student leadership and social change on college campuses through a multicultural lens.
Prior to joining Morehouse College, Hill was an associate professor of education at Columbia University and previously was assistant professor of Urban Education and American Studies at Temple University. His research and work focuses on the intersections between culture, politics, and education. Although he began his undergraduate studies at Morehouse College, Hill received his B.S. in education and Spanish from Temple University and earned a Ph.D. with distinction from the University of Pennsylvania.
Each spring, the Office of Community, Equity and Diversity has held its 20,000 Voices event where community members attend workshops and guest speakers highlight some of the leading diversity issues in higher education. This year the office has worked in support of the student-driven conference, at which some faculty, staff and regional leaders will be speaking. The next year’s 20,000 Voices event will take place in 2016.