Kevin Powell Debates Obama, Hip-hop and the American Dream

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 24, 2012) -- Organizers of the University of Kentucky’s Black History Month events chose Kevin Powell, the noted activist, writer, public speaker and entrepreneur, to close the campus-wide celebration.

Powell will address “Barack Obama, Hip-Hop, Leadership and the American Dream” at a free, public presentation at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at Memorial Hall. The program is co-sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center and the Office of Diversity Education & Community Building, divisions of the Office for Institutional Diversity.

Powell is widely considered one of America’s most important voices of the 21st century.  Legendary feminist Gloria Steinem asserts that “as a charismatic speaker, leader, and a very good writer, Kevin Powell has the courage … to be human, and this will bring the deepest revolution of all.”

A gifted and sought after public speaker, Powell has lectured on multiculturalism, building corporate responsibility, American and African-American history, the life of Martin Luther King Jr., human rights, American politics and civic engagement, sexism from a male perspective, leadership and social activism, the state of hip-hop, redefining American manhood, and being black and male in America, among other topics, at hundreds of colleges and universities, community centers, prisons, religious institutions and corporate settings.  Powell is also a featured commentator to TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, and Internet outlets in America and globally.

As a writer, Powell has written numerous essays, articles, reviews and blogs over the years that have been featured in such publications as Esquire, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Essence, Rolling Stone and Vibe. He is currently a columnist for TheGuardian.com, one of the oldest news publications in the world.

He has also emerged as a prominent voice of the hip-hop generation, stressing the use of hip-hop as a tool for social change.  Powell is also recognized as an outspoken critic of violence against women and girls and has been at the forefront of the movement to redefine manhood away from sexism and violence.  He continues to teach, mentor and counsel in the schools, camps, prisons and on the streets of urban America.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Gail Hairston, (859) 257-3302; gail.hairston@uky.edu