City Arts & Lectures Jelani Cobb with john a. powell
Oct 26, 2025
Jelani Cobb, Dean of Columbia Journalism School and acclaimed writer at The New Yorker, dives deep into the heart of American identity and history. He explores hip hop's roots and its role in expressing hope, alongside personal reflections on being a Black man in today's society. Cobb tackles the complexities of race in America and the lessons from recent democracies like Brazil. He discusses the importance of local journalism and offers a nuanced view on Confederate monuments, intertwining history with contemporary struggles for democracy.
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Hip-Hop As A Survival Hope
- Hip-hop emerged from communities facing high premature death and carried a hope to extend life between birth and death.
- Jelani Cobb ties hip-hop's fatalistic imagery to real structural violence and lack of healthcare in Black and Latino neighborhoods.
Bookstore Conversation At The World Trade Center
- Jelani Cobb recounts meeting Pete Hamill in a bookstore at the World Trade Center as a grad student and discussing what it means to be a young Black man in New York.
- That conversation later gained resonance because it occurred in the building that became central to 9/11 history.
Be Accountable To History
- Hold accountable what you say and act with historical integrity rather than capitulation under pressure.
- Preserve courage for posterity so your children can learn you did not act out of cowardice.
