Ibram X. Kendi, professor of history and international relations and the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, will deliver the Krieger Lecture in American Political Culture April 15. His book, “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,” provides a complex background and exploration of the notions of racial superiority. The event will take place at 4:45 p.m. in the Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium.
"One of America’s most important historians and public intellectuals, Ibram Kendi's scholarship mines the rich vein that is the nation’s relationship with race and racism. Professor Kendi’s work is innovatively conceived, rigorously researched, and forcefully presented," said Derek Chang, associate professor of history. "His book, 'Stamped from the Beginning,' like his essays in The Atlantic, The New York Times, the Washington Post, and other publications, is accessible, nuanced, and unsparing in its analysis. We’re so fortunate to have Professor Kendi deliver this year’s Krieger Lecture. His deep understanding of and insights about racism and anti-racism have never been more timely or more important."
Kendi was only 34 when "Stamped from the Beginning" won the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction, making him the youngest winner of the award. He is also an ideas columnist at The Atlantic and has been a visiting professor at Brown University, a 2013 National Academy of Education/ Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow and a postdoctoral fellow at the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis. In 2011, Kendi had a residency at The John W.Kluge Center at the Library of Congress at the American Historical Association.
The Krieger lecture was endowed by Sanford ‘65 and Carol Krieger in 2000 and is sponsored by the American Studies Program. The event is free and open to the public.
