Author Jabari Asim to speak at two Black History events Feb. 22

HOUGHTON -- Two Black History Month events will feature Jabari Asim, author of The N Word and What Obama Means ... today, Monday, Feb. 22, at Michigan Tech.

At noon the public is invited to "Meet the Author of The N Word" in the MUB Ballroom. The N word continues to spark fierce debate and outrage with its use in mainstream culture. Jabari Asim’s book The N Word answers the questions of why and how the word is used. Asim wisely puts the discussion within a larger historical context. Most importantly, the book addresses why this word remains.

Asim's latest book, What Obama Means ... , will be the subject of his talk at 7 p.m., "An Evening with Jabari Asim," also in the MUB Ballroom on the Michigan Tech campus. Asim will define the context of Obama's presidency and what it means to Americans of all backgrounds. He will also show how Obama turned the old civil-rights model of African American leadership on its head, and show that Obama's election is evidence of the progress that has been made in healing wounds and broadening America's concept of leadership and inspiration.

An accomplished poet, playwright and fiction writer, Jabari Asim has been described as one of the most influential African American literary critics of his generation. He is a frequent public speaker and commentator who has appeared on The Today Show, The Colbert Report, the Tavis Smiley Show and countless other programs. He has lectured at many of the nation’s finest universities, including University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, Syracuse University and the University of Florida.

More Black History events this week

The film Amazing Grace will be shown at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the MUB Ballroom. The film is about idealist William Wilberforce, crusader for the British abolition of slavery. This event is presented by the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

At the Food for the Soul Brown Bag Lunch at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 24, Dr. Mel C. Norwood, African American Outreach Coordinator at Michigan Tech, will present "Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Relevant and Necessary in 21st Century America." The event will be held in MUB Ballroom B.