One of the reasons I love academia so much is the opportunity it provides for expanding your horizons in all sorts of ways, both expected and unexpected. I never tire of doing that.

Within the next few days, we will be visited by Morris Dees, chief litigator for the Southern Poverty Law Center and the only one I know of who bankrupted the KKK by winning a lawsuit against them (there may be others who did it, but I don’t know of them), Donna Brazile, the CNN political commentator and political strategist, feminist extraordinaire Robin Morgan, as well as the world famous journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault, the first black female undergraduate for whom one of our buildings is named. Absolute Nirvana for me.

On Friday I had the distinct pleasure of going to a Women’s Studies Friday Lecture Series performance by none other than hip hop artist Ricky Simone.  In addition to working full-time in student affairs, and being a PhD student, Ricky Simone is also an incredibly prolific and courageous hip hop artist and a tireless social justice activist who works for peace and understanding for all.  Not only were we treated to her great PowerPoint presentation on “Hip Hop’s Side B: Social Activism,” but she performed.  Wow.  I had tears in my eyes.  Her piece, “Homos” was profound.  Homos as in homo sapiens.  She’s worth taking a look.

She will never own this (I know her), but just by living her life, Ricky Simone teaches us that you don’t have to be confined to one category/box/label.  You can be a PhD student at a prestigious university and do hip hop.  You can be a serious activist, and a clever poet.  You can have dread locks and be a professional.  You can wear sneakers and be serious.  You can be shy about public speaking and break out and dance and perform your hip hop.

Ricky Simone’s life example, incredibly clever and insightful lyrics to her hip hop beats, and her courageous, passionate, quest for social justice has lessons for us all.

So, here’s to you, Ricky Simone.  Keep up the GREAT work of making the world a better place for us all in whatever way you choose.

Thanks for teaching us there’s no need for labels.