Lenoir-Rhyne announces MLK Day speaker

From Press Release

Published: January 13, 2009

HICKORY
Dr. Thabiti Lewis, a professor specializing in African American literature and culture, will be the Martin Luther King Day speaker at Lenoir-Rhyne University on Monday.

The public is invited to attend his free talk on "King's Legacy and the Responsibility of Youth" at 10 a.m. in the P.E. Monroe Auditorium on campus.

Lewis received his bachelor of arts in English and history at the University of Rochester. He received honors in history for his work on the Atlantic slave trade.

He received a master of arts in teaching from the University of Rochester. He later earned a doctorate from St. Louis University, specializing in 20th century American literature and African American literature. He currently teaches in the English Department of Washington State University-Vancouver. Besides World Views he also teaches courses in Cultural Studies, American Studies and Ethnic Studies.

He is the author of the forthcoming book "Ballers of the New School: Race, Sport and American Culture." He has a strong interest in race and American sport culture. Another primary focus is the work of African American author Toni Cade Bambara.

Additionally, he is interested in representations of black masculinity in popular culture and African American literature. Lewis has also written for newspapers and magazines, and delivered numerous radio commentaries. He has lectured widely on these topics.