Part of the Distinguished Lecture Series
on Social Thought and Political Economy
Co-sponsored with Commonwealth Honors College
Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Chris Tinson, Assistant Professor of African American Studies at Hampshire College
This talk will engage the movement of our day as an ongoing, decentralized struggle for black humanity. The author argues that the direct action protests, mass marches, expressions of international solidarity, and the demands for community oversight of government and police point to the incompatibility of black radical protest, especially that which is comprised of black youth, black queer, and anti-capital. Rather than advance a convenient progress narrative, Ferguson, as the epicenter of this justice struggle, reveals the continuous tension between black political desires and notions of democracy.
Chris Tinson’s, interdisciplinary research and teaching focuses on the intersections between Africana radical traditions, U.S. ethnic studies, hip-hop culture, critical media studies, incarceration, community-based education, and race and sports. His writings have been published in The Black Scholar, The Journal of African American History, The Nation, and Radical Teacher. He currently resides in Holyoke, Massachusetts and has conducted workshops at various college campuses, high schools, and juvenile detention centers in the area, and serves as a youth mentor. Since 2006 he has hosted TRGGR Radio, a Hip-Hop-rooted social justice radio program.