Hip-hop radio legend Jay Smooth to visit ECU

Deejay and social commentator Jay Smooth, founder and host of New York City’s longest running hip-hop radio program, will speak at 6 p.m. March 19 at Hendrix Theatre, East Carolina University. 

Smooth’s radio program, WBAI’s “The Underground Railroad,” was launched in 1991 when he was a teenager. He is the mastermind behind the politically-oriented video blog “The Ill Doctrine” (www.illdoctrine.com), where he offers contemporary observation on topics including race, politics, music and pop culture.

Smooth is a leading voice in the sociopolitical realm who gained national attention with his video “How To Tell Someone They Sound Racist” and his TEDx Talk “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Discussing Race.”  He aims to entertain, challenge and enlighten audiences with his perspective on music, politics and culture. He encourages audiences to participate in critical thinking about the world, engage in conversations about cultural issues that matter and find common ground.

The lecture is part of the Talking Across Difference series, a collaborative effort among units within ECU’s Division of Student Affairs and the Department of Student Involvement and Leadership. The lecture series objective is to present varying viewpoints on timely and challenging issues with a goal of encouraging mutual respect, close and sympathetic listening, diverse perspectives, suspended judgment and critical reflection.

The Ledonia Wright Cultural Center and Volunteer and Service-Learning Center are sponsoring the event, which is free and open to the public.

For additional information, contact Melissa Haithcox-Dennis with the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center at 252-328-6495 or via email at haithcoxm@ecu.edu.