Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter Lecture Series (Attending author talks - 2 pts.) - Alyssa Amaker
(Photo: Columbia University's lecture hosted by Dean Jelani Cobb) Two weeks ago, I attended Columbia University's "Jay-Z" lecture with guest speaker Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the 1619 Project, Dean of Howard's school of journalism, and staff writer for the New York Times. I was glad that this was my first introduction to Ms. Hannah-Jones' on-stage presence, as she was very warm and open in her interactions with the crowd. Despite providing some insight on how she goes about her reporting in an autocratic and highly surveilled United States, I wish she could have entertained the audience's questions of how the black community should approach mediating issues such as: a lack of public school resources and black girls' development in urban spaces among other topics. Overall, this event was successful in bringing together the black Columbia University community and it opened my eyes to the vibrancy of it on campus. - Alyssa Amaker
