Happy Birthday, Hip Hop! 50 Years of Women in the Industry

Panel and Listening Session

Sunday, October 1st at 5:30pm EST, Cosby Auditorium

This event will be live-streamed.

Organized by Dr. Gwendolyn Pough, Syracuse University, and Co-Sponsored by the Syracuse University Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition Program and the University of Massachusetts Composition and Rhetoric Program. 

Listening session featuring DJ Monday Blue. 

Dr. Aisha Durham, University of South Florida

“Power U: Hip Hop Feminist Studies”

Dr. Aisha Durham is a Professor of Communication and Media at the University of South Florida. She is a Black feminist cultural critic and former Fulbright-Hays fellow whose scholarly research explores the relationship between media representations and everyday life using autoethnography and performance writing highlighted in her award-winning monograph, Home with Hip Hop Feminism: Performances in Communication and Culture. Durham has served as a cultural advisory board member for the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap. Recent research about hip hop and Black feminist thought is featured inCommunication, Culture, and Critique, the Community Literacy Journal, and the Handbook of Autoethnography. To democratize knowledge, Durham writes public scholarship, delivers international talks, and provides cultural analyses for news and entertainment outlets, such as The Times, Insider, Ms., Washington Post, and CNN.  

Dr. Elaine Richardson, aka Dr. E, The Ohio State University

“Hip Hop is 50: What about the children?”

Dr. Elaine Richardson is Professor of Literacy Studies in the College of Education at The Ohio State University.  A community-engaged scholar and performing artist, Dr. E’s work focuses on the empowerment of Black women, girls, gender-expansive people of color, and overall community wellness. Her projects are anchored in Columbus’ Near East Side in afterschool and community-based contexts, employing music, poetry, storytelling, theatre, dance, visual arts and popular culture as part of initiatives Empowering Young Voices Performing Arts-Based Mentoring Program (founder and co-director) and The Columbus Women&Girls’Fest (founding director), which are becoming staples in the Black community. These initiatives provide a platform to empower diverse women and girls, honoring Black and Brown community literacies. Dr. E is the founding director of the HipHop Literacies Conference, bringing together stakeholders to dialogue on pressing social issues of concern to the Hiphop generations. She is the author of numerous books, articles, and recordings. She is an internationally recognized award-winning speaker, author, and performance activist.

Photo Credit: Elaine Manusakis: Every Angle Photography

DJ Monday Blue

“Soundscaping Where and When we Enter (Hip Hop)”

Monday Blue is an experienced Brooklyn-based DJ who specializes in both digital and vinyl music. With over nine years of experience, she is known for moving diverse crowds at events across the U.S. and abroad and has worked with organizations and brands such as The Meteor, Weeksville Heritage Center, The Pulitzer Prizes, Spelman College, 651 Arts, Virgin Hotels NYC, Andscape, and H&M. A featured DJ at Soho Grand Hotel in New UYork City,  Monday Blue is also the official tour DJ for the Buy From A Black Woman Inspire Tour presented by H&M. Additionally she performs in the theatrical realm. Monday Blue was the onstage DJ for Stacey Sargeant’s production Buh Wha’ Trouble is Dis? as part of New York Theater Workshop’s 2019 summer residency at Dartmouth and also lent her skills to Life In Sepia: Vermont’s Black Burlesque Revue in 2021. Monday Blue is the founder and resident DJ of Doyennes of Disc, a monthly vinyl party featuring all women selectors at Brooklyn’s BierWax. You can listen to her live on Wednesdays at 6 pm EST on Follow Your Bliss With Monday Blue on twitch.tv/DJMondayBlue.

Dr. Gwendolyn Pough, Syracuse University

Moderator and Event Organizer