GRACE under pressure: John Baldoni with Dr. Omekongo Dibinga

Dr. Omékongo Dibinga is an international speaker, trilingual poet, talk show host, rapper and professor of Intercultural Communication at American University, where he also serves as a faculty affiliate to the Antiracist Research & Policy Center. He has studied at Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Morehouse and The Fletcher School, where he earned his M.A. in Law & Diplomacy. He worked for four years as the lead Teaching Assistant to Dr. Michael Eric Dyson at Georgetown University. Dr. Dibinga earned his Ph.D. in International Education Policy at The University of Maryland (UMD) where his dissertation centered on the global hip-hop phenomenon and JAY-Z. At UMD, he worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Diverse Students initiative. Dr. Dibinga has also worked with school districts on culturally relevant instruction throughout the United States.

His Urban Music Award-winning work has best been described by poet Nikki Giovanni as “outstanding, exciting, and new while being very old.” His first book, From the Limbs of My Poetree was lauded by Essence Magazine as “a remarkable and insightful collection of exquisite poetry that touches sacred places within your spirit.” He was one of five international recipients out of 750,000 entrants to win the inaugural CNN iReport Spirit Award, receiving over 1 million views on CNN.com.

Dr. Dibinga’s writings and performances have appeared in O Magazine, BET, NPR, Music Choice, Voice of America and the BBC. He has written songs for major motion pictures as well as organizations including NASA and the Enough! Project. He has spoken before the United Nations and conducts leadership training overseas for the State Department, as well as for corporate, government and educational organizations across the country on issues centered on leadership, antiracism, diversity and inclusion. www.liesaboutblackpeople.com www.omekongo.com