CORVALLIS, Ore. – Ibram X. Kendi, a National Book Award winner, historian and leading antiracist voice in America, will give a virtual talk April 14 as part of Oregon State University’s Provost’s Lecture Series.

Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is the author of several books including “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,” which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction.

“We are honored to host Professor Ibram X. Kendi, one of America’s most influential scholars of race," said OSU Provost and Executive Vice President Edward Feser. "His work speaks to our moment. Prof. Kendi’s recent book “How to be An Antiracist,” explores some of the most profound and intersecting implications of race and racism, culture, class, and more. The book is timely, accessible, and often very personal. Dr. Kendi challenges all of us to engage in self-reflection, interrogate core assumptions, and take direct action to fight racism in all its forms.”

The talk, “An Evening with Ibram Kendi in Conversation About How To Be an Antiracist,” is free and open to the public. It will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on Zoom and requires advance registration. To sign up visit: https://beav.es/JNq.

Kendi is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News correspondent. He is the 2020-2021 Frances B. Cashin Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.

Among his other books are “Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019” (with Keisha Blain), “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” (with Jason Reynolds), “Antiracist Baby” (with illustrations by Ashley Lukashevsky), and “The Black Campus Movement.” His next book, “Be Antiracist: A Journal for Awareness, Reflection, and Action,” will be released in October.

The Provost's Lecture Series is a partnership of the Office of the Provost and the OSU Foundation to bring renowned thinkers, artists and leaders to OSU to engage the community on topics of global significance.

Past lectures this year were given by Mae Jemison, former NASA astronaut and the first woman of color in space, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University professor and host of the groundbreaking PBS genealogy series, “Finding Your Roots.”

General OSU

About Oregon State University: As one of only three land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the nation, Oregon State serves Oregon and the world by working on today’s most pressing issues. Our more than 36,000 students come from across the globe, and our programs operate in every Oregon county. Oregon State receives more research funding than all of the state’s comprehensive public universities combined. At our campuses in Corvallis and Bend, marine research center in Newport, OSU Portland Center and award-winning Ecampus, we excel at shaping today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders.

Story By: 

Sean Nealon, 541-737-0787, [email protected]

Source: 

Steve Clark, 541-737-3808, [email protected]

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