Markeysha Davis to Speak on American Iconographies in African American Music

The Humanities Center is happy to announce its fifth talk in the Ethnic Studies Lecture Series on Monday, Oct. 17, from 12:45 p.m.-2 p.m. in the Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies.

For this talk, Markeysha Davis, assistant professor of Africana studies and literature (Hillyer College), will give a lecture called "'Who Will Survive America?': Examining American Iconographies in Contemporary African American Music." Here, she will explore the ways in which Black musicians (such as Janelle Monáe, Joey Bada$$, Jay Z and Kanye West) have used American patriotic iconography (the flag, monuments, etc.) as a means of building their stories about Black life and struggle all the while staking a claim in their belonging to American society.

The Ethnic Studies Lecture Series is possible thanks to the Cardin Grant, funding received from the A&S dean's office. The series features talks by nine UHart professors in the humanities whose research and teaching focus on racialized ethnic groups in the U.S.