January 13, 2005
Purdue's BCC presents social activist to kick off Black History Month
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University will begin its celebration of Black History Month on Feb. 2 with a keynote speech by a nationally known social activist at 7 p.m. in Krannert Auditorium.
Jeffrey Johnson will speak about "Hip Hop and Civil Rights: An Intergenerational Dialogue for Intergenerational Understanding." Johnson is vice president of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network, a non-profit group that works to involve the hip-hop music industry in education advocacy and addressing other societal concerns. The talk, sponsored by the Black Cultural Center, is free and open to the public.
"Mr. Johnson is a dynamic speaker who will cover a broad range of issues students and community leaders are facing," said BCC director Renee Thomas. "He is a well-rounded professional who wants to direct positive activity in the hip-hop community."
A social activist, African Methodist Episcopal minister, public speaker and leadership trainer, Johnson has been seen on CNN, "BET Tonight," MTV and C-Span, and featured in USA Today and The New York Times. He is "Cousin Jeff" on BET's hip-hop video show "Rap City."
Formerly the national director of the NAACP youth and college division, Johnson was responsible for more than 700 youth units representing more than 60,000 young people.
Carter G. Woodson launched Negro History Week in 1926 as an initiative to bring national attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history, and it evolved into Black History Month.
Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu
Source: Renee Thomas, (765) 494-3091, rathomas@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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