Black Thought, co-founder of the legendary band The Roots, iconic hip-hop MC, three-time Grammy Award winner and a leader of The Tonight Show house band, will speak at UToledo’s 40th annual Conference for Aspiring Minority Youth.
Roland Martin, host and managing editor of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, who Ebony magazine named four times as one of the 150 Most Influential African Americans in the United States, also will speak at the event.
Black Thought, co-founder of the legendary band The Roots and an iconic hip-hop MC, will speak at UToledo’s 40th annual Conference for Aspiring Minority Youth.
The event, sponsored by Toledo Excel, a longtime scholarship incentive program at UToledo, and Owens Corning, is at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, in Thompson Student Union Auditorium.
Advance registration is required for the free, public conference for seventh- and eighth-graders, high school students and parents. Community members are welcome as well.
For more information and to register, visit the Toledo Excel website.
As co-founder of The Roots, the beloved house band for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” for more than a decade, and a multi-hyphenate creative, Tariq Trotter — aka Black Thought — has quietly affirmed himself as one of the most prolific and powerful voices in hip-hop, winning three Grammy Awards and three NAACP Image Awards. In 2022, Black Thought teamed up with Danger Mouse for their acclaimed collaborative album, “Cheat Codes.”
“It is amazing to have Black Thought as one of our special guests as we close the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop,” said David Young, director of Toledo Excel and special projects. “He is the MC that is in everyone’s top 5, from Rolling Stone magazine, to brothers debating in the barbershop. Just as important, though, is his incredible story of overcoming against all odds to become a legend. I just finished his memoir ‘The Uncycled Self’ and I can’t wait for our conference attendees to hear about all he has been through and survived and is now an iconic artist.”
Roland Martin, host and managing editor of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, also will speak at UToledo’s 40th annual Conference for Aspiring Minority Youth.
A longtime journalist, Martin is the host and managing editor of “#RolandMartinUnfiltered,” the first daily online show in history focused on news and analysis of politics, entertainment, sports, and culture from an explicitly African American perspective. Martin was a senior analyst for the Tom Joyner Morning Show, where his twice-a-week segment was heard by millions of listeners on upwards of 100 stations. He is the author of three books: Listening to the “Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith,” “Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America” and “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin.”
“Roland Martin is a well-respected and award-winning journalist,” Young said. “The definition of being unbossed and unbought. He does it his way, in excellence, and never compromises. He has much wisdom and wit to share with our audience in our historical 40th year.”
“As usual, 13 ABC’s Alexis Means will be serving as our facilitator for the conference,” Young added. “However, after Roland Martin speaks in the first session, he will moderate the conversation with Black Thought. Two incredible minds coming together for a live conversation and interacting with the audience as well answering their questions.”
Established in 1988, Toledo Excel helps underrepresented and low-income students, including African, Asian, Hispanic and Native Americans, achieve success in college. Through summer institutes, academic enhancement activities and guidance through the admission process, students increase their self-esteem, cultural awareness and civic involvement.
