Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation

With wit, style and pop culture credibility, Jelani Cobb is one of the cleverest voices in today’s conversations around race issues. A staff writer for The New Yorker, he’s an expert on how race, politics and popular culture intersect in America, and is known for sharing his brilliant opinions on current events in real time. Author of the highly acclaimed book The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress, he also writes on more pressing and somber issues, such as police shootings, subsequent riots and the public response. As a preeminent voice on race and injustice, Jelani