African Scholar Molefi Kete Asante, "Father of Afrocentricity," To Speak at Pitt This Evening

PITTSBURGH—Molefi Kete Asante, professor of African American Studies at Temple University, will speak at 7:30 p.m. this evening in Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health Auditorium, Room 23, 130 Desoto St., Oakland. The event is free and open to the public. Asante will deliver a lecture titled "Black Egyptian Civilization and Culture: An Inspiration for the New Generation to Reach New Heights."

Asante is widely regarded as the founder of the theory of Afrocentricity, a re-examination of traditional scholarship from the perspective of African and African diasporal peoples. In 1969, he was the founding editor of the Journal of Black Studies, a central publication for Afrocentric theory.

A poet, dramatist, painter, and philosopher, Asante was the founder of Temple University's doctoral program in African American Studies, the first program of its kind in the world. He is the author or editor of 62 books, including Race, Rhetoric and Identity: The Architecton of Soul (Humanity Books, 2005), Encyclopedia of Black Studies (SAGE Publications, 2004), and Erasing Racism: The Survival of the American Nation (Prometheus Books, 2003). The journal Black Issues in Education has recognized Asante as one of the most influential leaders in the past 15 years. His work on African culture and philosophy has made him one of the 10 most widely cited African Americans.

Asante received the Master of Arts degree from Pepperdine University and the Ph.D. degree from University of California Los Angeles, both in communications. His appearance tonight is sponsored by the students of Pitt's Department of Africana Studies.

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