Michael P. Jeffries

Michael P. Jeffries is an assistant professor of American Studies at Wellesley College and author of  Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America.

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Obama's Chicago Speech Can't Address Gun Violence Unless It Takes On Race

Obama's Chicago Speech Can't Address Gun Violence Unless It Takes On Race

Academic research long ago showed that poverty and institutional racism are at the root of urban crime. Will the president have the courage to say so? More »

Tim Scott, Tokenism, and the Lessons the GOP Still Hasn't Learned

Tim Scott, Tokenism, and the Lessons the GOP Still Hasn't Learned

The South Carolinian's Senate appointment might look like progress, but it's really the latest sign of a failure to modernize. More »

How Rap Can Help End Rape Culture

How Rap Can Help End Rape Culture

Angel Haze speaks up about being sexually abused on her powerful new track, and her testimony couldn't come at a more urgent time More »

The Love Letter That Shook Hip-Hop

The Love Letter That Shook Hip-Hop

The real reason Frank Ocean's coming-out note is important More »

The Blandification of Southern Rap

The Blandification of Southern Rap

Local pride has fueled some of the best hip hop in history, but as one region's profile has risen over the past decade, its identity has been watered down. More »

Drake, Childish Gambino, and the Specter of Black Authenticity

Drake, Childish Gambino, and the Specter of Black Authenticity

Neither rapper is a conventional hip-hop star, and each deal with that fact in different ways More »

Is Obama Really the Hip-Hop President?

Is Obama Really the Hip-Hop President?

The answer is more complicated than it seems More »

Lil Wayne Is Out of Prison. Now What?

Lil Wayne Is Out of Prison. Now What?

Will the charismatic rapper's time in jail change anything for him? More »

Hip-Hop Doesn't Need Saviors

Hip-Hop Doesn't Need Saviors

Drake's disappointing debut album underscores the need to abandon the industry-imposed good rapper vs. bad rapper stereotype More »

The Biggest Story in Photos

Protests Spread Across Brazil

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