Jabari Asim

Politics, Pop Culture & Language

Accomplished playwright, author and journalist Jabari Asim will speak at Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh campus in honor of Black History Month. The event begins at 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28, in McConomy Auditorium, University Center — and is free and open to the public.

The talk, titled "Politics, Popular Culture and Language: An Evening with Jabari Asim," explores the author's recently published book "The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn't, and Why." Asim's book has been featured on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" and NPR's "The Diane Rehm Show."

His talk also will answer questions such as "Is America ready for a black president?" and "Has the hip-hop generation lost sight of its original voice and vision?"

Asim is editor-in-chief of the NAACP's "The Crisis" magazine, a journal of politics, ideas and culture and founded by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1910. He spent 11 years at "The Washington Post," where he was a deputy editor of the book review section and a syndicated columnist on political and social issues.

A former vice president of the National Book Critics Circle, Asim edited "Not Guilty: Twelve Black Men Speak Out on Law, Justice and Life" and authored "The Road To Freedom: A Story of the Restoration," a novel for young readers. His children's books include "Daddy Goes to Work," "Whose Toes Are Those?" and "Whose Knees Are These?"

Asim also has published work in a number of anthologies and literary magazines. For more information, visit www.jabariasim.com.

Carnegie Mellon's Student Development Office is sponsoring the talk and sponsored additional Black History Month activities through February. Visit student affairs for more information.

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