Rapper and activist Chuck D is scheduled to speak at Bellevue College on Thursday, Jan. 17, as part of their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration.
A rapper, author, producer and activist, Chuck D is credited with helping to create politically and socially conscious rap music in the 1980s as the leader of the famous rap group Public Enemy. In addition to his own music, he has collaborated on songs and albums with many famous artists, including Janet Jackson, Run-DMC, Ice Cube and John Mellencamp. He frequently counters the negative views associated with rap music, and is politically active, having testified before Congress in support of peer-to-peer MP3 sharing, and spoken out against conflict diamonds used in fashion and the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Chuck D’s wife, Gaye Theresa Johnson, Ph.D., will join him in presenting the keynote, entitled “Where Do We Go From Here…Chaos Or Community.” A professor of Black Studies, as well as an affiliated faculty member in the departments of History and Chicana/o Studies, at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She holds a doctorate in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, and her areas of expertise are 20th century U.S. history; race and racism; and cultural history with an emphasis on music. Johnson is active with the Los Angeles Community Action Network’s struggle for housing and civil rights on LA’s Skid Row.
Sponsored by BC’s Multicultural Services, the Black Student Union, and other campus organizations, the event is part of a week-long celebration of Dr. King’s life. The celebration will include participation by students, faculty and staff in the 31st Annual MLK Rally and March in Seattle, as well as forums, discussions and presentations on a variety of topics.
The event is free and open to the public, and will take place at Carlson Theater on Bellevue College’s campus (3000 Landerholm Circle SE) on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 11: 30 a.m. A reception will immediate follow.
For more information, contact BC’s Multicultural Services at (425) 564-4064.
