Bakari Kitwana, a journalist and national thought leader in the area of hip-hop activism, will speak at Northern Michigan University for Black History Month. His talk is titled "The Politics of Hip-Hop and Policing: From N.W.A. to #BlackLivesMatter." He will use the Straight Outta Compton film as a springboard to discuss the history of politics and hip-hop in general, and specifically as it relates to the challenges of police reform. The presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, in 1320 Jamrich Hall. Admission is free.

Kitwana has provided commentary on CNN, Fox News, C-SPAN, PBS and NPR. He also is executive editor of The Source magazine. His visit is sponsored by the NMU Multicultural Education and Resource Center.