Acclaimed columnist and political commentator Michael Harriot will be the keynote speaker for the Media & Civil Rights History Symposium on March 27 and March 28, sponsored by the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Harriot, who grew up in Hartsville, South Carolina, uses biting wit and provocative storytelling in his New York Times bestselling book "Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America" as well as in his columns for The Root and The Guardian to offer a different view of America. He is considered one of the country’s most compelling cultural critics.
Harriot will speak at a free public event on Thursday, March 27, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at historic Chappelle Auditorium on the campus of Allen University. At the event, he will be in conversation with Damion Waymer, Ph.D., director of the USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications and Bobby Donaldson, Ph.D., executive director of the University of South Carolina Center for Civil Rights History and Research.
The event is co-sponsored by Allen University and the USC Center for Civil Rights History and Research.
On Friday, March 28, Harriot will be the keynote speaker at the MCRHS luncheon, which will be held on the USC campus at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Other Friday conference sessions will also be held on campus and are free to the public.
“We are fortunate to secure Michael Harriot for our symposium,” said Waymer. “He is a brilliant, dynamic and entertaining speaker. His messages push us to think creatively for solutions to social inequalities and other issues.”
Harriot has addressed issues of race, politics and culture as a commentator on CNN, NBC, BET and MSNBC, among others, and his journalism has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Atlantic magazine. He is host of theGrio Daily podcast and with Pharrell Williams created the award-winning podcast “Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History.” He is known as the Dean of Black Twitter.
Harriot earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series as a staff writer on the late-night talk show The Amber Ruffin Show.
He holds degrees in mass communications and history from Auburn University and a master’s degree in macroeconomics and international business from Florida State University.
The Media and Civil Rights History Symposium was started by the USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications in 2011 to provide a venue for scholarship and professional discussions of the subject. It is held every two years.
Sessions will include a research paper session, a conversation on Hip Hop Civics by SJMC’s Jabari Evans, Ph.D., who has a new book on the subject, and a panel featuring African American journalists with local Black newspapers who have covered civil rights.
The Ronald T. Farrar and Gayla D. Farrar Award recognizing the best scholarly article or book chapter on media and civil rights history in the past two years will also be presented during the symposium.