Symposium Speakers

https://laurenleighkelly.com/

Lauren Kelly, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Urban Social Justice Teacher Education, focuses her research and teaching on youth identity, culture, and social justice in ways that empower young people to shape their worlds rather than simply find a place in it. These themes are centered in the development of culturally relevant curriculum and pedagogy for pre-service teachers. Dr. Kelly strives to create a path towards equity and social justice through education and strongly believes that understanding the interaction between language and power is an important component of this work.

Dr. Kelly taught high school English for ten years in New York where she also developed courses in Hip Hop Literature and Culture, Spoken Word poetry, and Theatre Arts. Driven by her engagement with hip-hop culture and community since childhood, she often brought music into the high school classroom when teaching to cultivate classroom community and critical consciousness. Kelly received her bachelor’s degree in English with a particular focus on African American literature and Black feminist theory; her master’s in Adolescent Education; and her Ph.D. in English Education. Kelly was also the recipient of a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Boston University, studying the development of critical consciousness amongst high school students. Kelly’s current research focuses on adolescent critical literacy development, Black feminist theory, Hip Hop pedagogy, critical consciousness, and the development of critical, culturally sustaining pedagogies.

Marjoris Regus (Morning Keynote) is an assistant professor of music education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. At Rutgers, Marjoris teaches introduction to music education, philosophy of music education, and directs the clinical practice experience. Her research interests include secondary general music, codeswitching, reggaetón, and the bicultural competencies of first and second generation Latiné music students. Her research examines the negotiations of racial, ethnic, linguistic, and musical identities among AfroLatiné students enrolled in music degree programs. Prior to her position at Rutgers, Marjoris was a high school music educator and directed the symphonic band, jazz ensembles, orchestra, choir, beginning piano, music theory, and music appreciation courses.

https://www.drcrystalleigh.com/

Crystal Endsley Taylor, Ph D. is an internationally renowned spoken word artist. She is
an award-winning poet, performer, and professor, and works to serve her community as an artist, advocate, and academic. She was honored with the 2016 and 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York where she is Associate Professor in the department of Africana Studies. Since 2015, she has co-directed the Girls Speak Out! performance at the United Nations each October under the auspices of the Working Group on Girls. Dr. Endsley’s project for more than a decade has been to connect global youth to each other through spoken word poetry and performance. Whether she is rehearsing theater with high school students in the Bronx, or writing curriculum with girls in New Orleans, or performing her poetry on stage at the United Nations, Dr. Endsley uses spoken word to shine a light in the darkness.

Dr. Endsley’s scholarly focus is arts as activism drawing from feminist traditions in Hip Hop and social justice education. Her first book, The Fifth Element: Social Justice Pedagogy Through Spoken Word Poetry was released in March 2016 by SUNY Press and explores spoken word poetry as a tool for social justice, critical feminist pedagogy, and new ways of teaching and learning. Her second co-authored book entitled Open Mic Night: College Programming that Champions Student Voice was awarded a special recognition by the 2018 Division B from the American Educational Research Association. She was awarded the 2019 Poetic Icon Award by the Spoken Word Institute at Syracuse University, where she was recognized for her service and leadership in the arts as activism. Dr. Endsley’s scholarship continues to be published in academic journals such as International Journal of Critical Media Literacy, Girlhood Studies, Feminist Formations, Transformations, Journal of Black Masculinities, and Words, Beats, Life among others.

Jason Almeida is a Cape Verdean-American DJ and multimedia/event producer based in Providence, RI, known as WHERE'S NASTY. WHERE'S NASTY co-founded stay silent, a creative company that focuses on event production, content creation, design, marketing, and products. Notable projects from stay silent include owning and operating a venue and nightclub, Crib, producing the DAY TRILL festival and party series including BOUNCE HOUSE, EGGS OVER BRUNCH, LUV U BETTER, and HOOKAH KILLED THE DANCE FLOOR, as well as co-founding Trade, a non-profit art and creative entrepreneurship organization and gallery/retail space. Where’s Nasty has collaborated with various individuals, brands, and institutions, including Bodega, Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, Converse, D'usse Palooza, Brunch Bounce, ‘47 Brand, 40oz NYC, Red Bull, Pow!Wow!, Art Basel and the CIty of Providence's PVDFest.

Hugo Bujon is a postdoctoral associate in Africana Studies at Rutgers Camden. He specializes in 20th- and 21th-century Sub-Saharan literature and philosophy from decolonial, ecocritical and psychoanalytic angles. Focusing on the writing of childhood in colonial and postcolonial contexts, he is currently working on a manuscript entitled Inventing Otherwise: Black Childhood and African Francophone Literature.

Laura Conceição is a poet and singer, born in Juiz de Fora, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Founder of the poetry collective Duas, she created a classroom engagement project entitled Poesia na Escola. She participates in slam battles across the country, having placed third in the 2017 Slam BR. In 2019, she released her first album, "Tempos efêmeros,” and in July this year, she released a second album titled "Espelho.”

Namibia Donadio Mejia is Co-founder and Executive Director of ART IS Love & Action which fosters collaboration among people in the spheres of art, education and social justice through consultation and experiential programming in universities, social service agencies and community-based organizations. As Executive Director, she is spearheading the second phase of a project in Hoboken, NJ that invites artists-in-residence to work with children and families to reimagine their communities through a series of interactive events, collaborative art-installations, and strategic partnerships; like the Hoboken Housing Authority and Hoboken Smart Cities. Born in Panama, she lives in New Jersey and holds a Master of Arts from New York University in Educational Theater in Colleges and Communities.

Makhtar Fall (AKA Xuman) is the son of Senegalese immigrants was born and raised in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. He discovered his passion for hip hop and rap at an early age. His return to Dakar in the early 1990s began a career of nearly sixteen years with the group Pee Froiss, and pioneered the Senegalese hip hop and rap movement. The group released five albums and represented Senegal at several major musical events around the world. His work on radio and television includes his project Natty Dread TV on 2STV and the weekly program, “Journal Télévisé Rappé,” which he produced for three years. Xuman is also known for his political and social commitment and participated in writing the official anthem of the Y EN A MARRE movement. He has collaborated with great names in local and international music such as Baba Maal, Gentleman, Dead Prez, Imani, Awadi, Tiken Jah, Takana Zion, Vicelow (Saïan supa crew).

Rabani Garg is a Ph.D. candidate in the Literacy, Culture, and International Education division at the Graduate school of Education, University of Pennsylvania. She researches youth literacy practices and participation on digital media networks through ethnographic and multimodal methods. Her work focuses on youth led collaborative spaces and the role of informal education/spaces in student learning and literacy practices.

Angélique Germain founded the media outlet Hip Open in 2011, and manages an association focused on Hip Hop culture (organization of debates, concerts, exhibitions, journalistic workshops, etc.). She is also the director of the documentary film Universal State of Mind, released in 2015 and filmed in 4 countries: Senegal, Brazil, Serbia and France. All of her projects are guided by the desire to raise awareness and promote practical knowledge.

The Hip Hop Youth Research and Activism (HHYRA) community celebrates youth who are connected to Hip Hop, committed to social change, and unapologetically expressive in their art forms. The objective is to decrease the use of stereotyping and unconscious biases, increase unity by creating opportunities for intergenerational collaboration, and show how Hip Hop has influenced people to speak out and create change. The annual HHYRA Conference brings together youth from diverse communities for a day of workshops, dialogues, and interactions that revolve around the ideas of Hip Hop and social justice. HHYRA mentors support the youth organizers of the conference as well as conference presenters as they develop skills in organizing, leading, teaching, and community-building. These mentors represent a range of experiences and backgrounds, including community activists, teaching artists, educators, professors and graduate students.

Safia Aminami Oumarou (AKA Safiath) was born in Khartoum, Sudan to a Nigerien father and a Sudanese mother. While studying in Morocco, she began her musical career by playing the guitar for a salsa dance group. She later returned to Niger and pursued her passion for music. Safiath is the lead singer of the rap group Kaidan Gaskiya and sings about social issues, particularly children's rights, in several languages including French, Hausa, Zarma, and Tamasheq.

ResKp (from the French rescapé, meaning survivor) hails from Dakar, Senegal. He appeared on the local hip hop scene in 2003, when his song “La Lutte Continue (AIDS)” won him a place in the compilation, Tous se Rappons le SIDA (Let's Rap about AIDS). He was named Best New Artist in Senegal’s Hip Hop Awards the same year. Since then, he has appeared in national festivals, televised competitions, and hip-hop awards ceremonies, including the 2010 World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar. ResKp’s 2009 debut album, Dafa Jot - It’s Time combined local instrumentations and vocals with contemporary hip hop beats and socially conscious lyrics in French andWolof to create a touching musical commentary on daily life in Senegal. His single “Calcul Mental” off that album was nominated for hit of the year on Senegalese television station TFM. Recently released singles include “Souy Ballet” “Goumbe yuy Lambaatu” “Show Me,” Wax Ko sa Waa Kogn”, and “Gueusseum”.

RMS is the hip hop Hans Zimmer—a storyteller who merges conceptual lyricism, soulful soundscapes, and his experience as a child of Indian immigrants to bring a cinematic sound of his own to the hip hop scene. His roots as a filmmaker and film composer shine through in his discography, as he brings to life stories of the human condition while navigating cultural stigmas and generational trauma. RMS is an Indian American rapper and producer from New Jersey. RMS has headlined shows at venues like Pianos NYC and Milky Arthouse, and has opened for artists like Felly and Healy.

Lynne Stillings is the Associate Director of Ashinaga USA. Lynne completed her PhD in Ethnomusicology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) with a Certificate in Africana Studies in 2021. Her dissertation research focused on children’s rights and musical activism in Senegal, where she first learned of Ashinaga. Lynne also teaches as an adjunct assistant professor of music at Brooklyn College in New York. She is passionate about children’s and youth participation in social and economic development, and is excited to be a part of the Ashinaga Africa Initiative.

The University of Orange is a free school of restoration urbanism in Orange, NJ founded in 2008 and building on a 64-year history of progressive organizing in the city. They harness collective capacities from friends, neighbors, and partners to cultivate a just and equitable city. The school offers free courses, works in local coalitions to promote education across the lifecycle, and advocates for equity in urban planning. UofO recognizes that racist and classist policies continue to shape cities everywhere, and that the resources needed to heal already exist within our neighborhoods. The school believes that we can solve the problems of our world by learning to see the richness of our cities, becoming lifelong learners, participating in civic life, and having fun with our neighbors.

Brendan Kibbee, Ph.D. is a teacher-scholar whose research focuses on music and urban space in the postcolonial metropolis. He has done extensive fieldwork in Dakar, Senegal and has presented his research in Ghana and Nigeria. As a teacher, he has been consistently engaged in expanding possibilities in the college classroom and beyond, combining music technology, orality, storytelling, and multilingualism in his pedagogy. A jazz pianist by training, Dr. Kibbee studied with Stanley Cowell at Mason Gross School of the Arts in the 00s. Dr. Kibbee taught at City College, CUNY, and John Jay College of Criminal Justice before coming back to Rutgers as a Postdoctoral Fellow in “Global Africa and the Humanities" at the School of Arts and Sciences.  His writings have appeared in African Studies Review, Current Musicology, and the Palgrave Handbook for Islam in Africa, among other places. He is a recipient of a Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship, the Society for Ethnomusicology’s 21st Century Dissertation Fellowship, and an honorable mention for the African Studies Association’s Graduate Student Paper Prize

Ousseina D. Alidou is Professor of Theoretical Linguistics, Gender and Cultural Studies in the Department of African, Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Literatures and Comparative Literature at Rutgers University. She directed the Center for African Studies at Rutgers University from 2009 to 2015. She is the author of Muslim Women in Postcolonial Kenya: Leadership, Representation, Political and Social Change and Engaging Modernity: Muslim Women and the Politics of Agency in Postcolonial Niger, which was a runner-up for the Aidoo-Schneider Book Prize of Women's Caucus of the Association of African Studies. She has co-edited numerous books including Writing through the Visual and Virtual in Francophone Africa and the Caribbean, Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Africa with Ahmed and A Thousand Flowers: Social Struggles Against Structural Adjustment in African Universities. Alidou is the recipient of several national and international scholarly and service awards including: African Studies Association Service Award (2016), Obafemi Awolowo Center for Gender and Social Policy Studies Distinguished Visiting Scholar Service Award (2015), Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Award (2015), Newark Women-in-the Media Distinguished Community Service Award (2015), Rutgers University 2011 Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching, Africa America Institute’s Distinguished Alumni Award (2010), Ford Foundation Human Rights and Social Justice Grant Award (2005), Rutgers University Board of Trustee’s Scholarly Excellence Award (2005) and she currently serves as a Senior Advisor to UNESCO BREDA on Higher Education Curriculum on Gender and Transformative Leadership for African Universities and Civil Societies.