On February 10, 2009, I attended an event for Black History Month at Boston University. The event was held at the Howard Thurman Center in the George Sherman Union and it was sponsored by the university’s African American Studies Department. The department offers a series of lectures during each academic semester. For this program, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, former President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, spoke to a group of about 60 students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Chavis, who earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Howard University, discussed a variety of topics during his hour long speech. Currently, Chavis is President and CEO of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN). However, Chavis began his career in civil rights. “I was a colleague of [civil rights activist] Stokely Carmichael. “We have come a long way,” Chavis said. After introducing himself to the audience, Chavis highlighted the significance of the election of Barak Obama as President of the United States. Chavis remarked that many Americans of his generation once felt that they would never see the day when an African American would be the President. Dr. Chavis has an engaging speaking style. Prior to his work at HSAN he was an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Later, Chavis converted to Islam. He believes that America’s greatest export is its culture. “Hip-Hop is a cultural phenomenon…,” he said. Chavis reminisced about his younger days. He grew up in North Carolina where he could not go to his hometown library until he was in high school. “Tolerance, tolerance of what you know is not right, makes you part of what is not right,” he said. Dr. Chavis mentioned the necessity to be vigilant against social problems such as poverty and homelessness. “Persistence is important.” After his speech, Chavis took some questions from the audience ranging from societal perceptions of Hip-Hop to his religious beliefs. “By in large, Hip-Hop is misunderstood. The majority of Hip-Hop records are bought by whites and not blacks.” Dr. Chavis spent much of the 1970s in prison for his work as a crusading civil rights activist. He was a Member of the Wilmington Ten – a group of young adults who attempted to desegregate the Wilmington, North Carolina public school system. The Wilmington Ten received nationwide attention for their efforts to fight against segregation. Dr. Chavis also expressed some of his life philosophy. He spent thirty years as a Christian minister, but now he is a practicing Muslim. “I think life is a journey. I am always searching for truth... We live in a world that is constantly evolving.” The Boston University African American Studies Department has more thought-provoking programs scheduled for the duration of the spring semester. One noteworthy program is the symposium “African Americans in Boston: From Slavery to Today” which will be held on April 25, 2009.
On February 10, 2009, I attended an event for Black History Month at Boston University. The event was held at the Howard Thurman Center in the George Sherman Union and it was sponsored by the university’s African American Studies Department. The department offers a series of lectures during each academic semester. For this program, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, former President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, spoke to a group of about 60 students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Chavis, who earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Howard University, discussed a variety of topics during his hour long speech. Currently, Chavis is President and CEO of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN). However, Chavis began his career in civil rights. “I was a colleague of [civil rights activist] Stokely Carmichael. “We have come a long way,” Chavis said. After introducing himself to the audience, Chavis highlighted the significance of the election of Barak Obama as President of the United States. Chavis remarked that many Americans of his generation once felt that they would never see the day when an African American would be the President. Dr. Chavis has an engaging speaking style. Prior to his work at HSAN he was an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Later, Chavis converted to Islam. He believes that America’s greatest export is its culture. “Hip-Hop is a cultural phenomenon…,” he said. Chavis reminisced about his younger days. He grew up in North Carolina where he could not go to his hometown library until he was in high school. “Tolerance, tolerance of what you know is not right, makes you part of what is not right,” he said. Dr. Chavis mentioned the necessity to be vigilant against social problems such as poverty and homelessness. “Persistence is important.” After his speech, Chavis took some questions from the audience ranging from societal perceptions of Hip-Hop to his religious beliefs. “By in large, Hip-Hop is misunderstood. The majority of Hip-Hop records are bought by whites and not blacks.” Dr. Chavis spent much of the 1970s in prison for his work as a crusading civil rights activist. He was a Member of the Wilmington Ten – a group of young adults who attempted to desegregate the Wilmington, North Carolina public school system. The Wilmington Ten received nationwide attention for their efforts to fight against segregation. Dr. Chavis also expressed some of his life philosophy. He spent thirty years as a Christian minister, but now he is a practicing Muslim. “I think life is a journey. I am always searching for truth... We live in a world that is constantly evolving.” The Boston University African American Studies Department has more thought-provoking programs scheduled for the duration of the spring semester. One noteworthy program is the symposium “African Americans in Boston: From Slavery to Today” which will be held on April 25, 2009.
Yes, Dr. Chavis was a very informative speaker for this event. I'm glad that I was able to attend :-)
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