Visionary Lecture Biography

Jeff Chang

Award-winning author, journalist and educator

Named one of the "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World" by The Utne Reader, Jeff Chang is a radical historian who brings street cred and academic chops to his exploration of multiculturalism, race relations, activism, political engagement, the state of the arts, and the politics of abandonment in America.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’I, Chang pursued an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California at Berkeley and later a master’s degree in Asian American Studies from the University of California at Los Angeles. During his time at UC Berkeley, he was politicized by the anti-apartheid and anti-racist movements fostering his activism and work as a community, labor, and student organizer, and lobbyist for the students of the California State University system.

As an author and public intellectual, Chang has specialized in culture, politics, the artsand music. His first book, "Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation," won the 2005 American Book Award and is an essential social and cultural history of America. This book was followed by his co-edited companion anthology "Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop," an incisive look at the hip-hop arts movement in the voices of its pioneers, innovators and mavericks. His most recent book, "Who We Be: The Colorization of America" examines the cultural transformation of the U.S. over the last three decades. He has published scholarly articles on culture and race relations in outlets including the New York Times, VIBE, and Mother Jones; and has lectured at dozens of colleges, universities, festivals and institutions, in the U.S. and around the world.

Chang has served on the boards of several organizations working for change through youth and community organizing, media justice, culture, the arts, and hip-hop activism. He was an organizer of the inaugural National Hip-Hop Political Convention and co-founded and ran the influential hip-hop indie label, SoleSides (now Quannum Projects) helping produce over a dozen records and launching the careers of numerous artists including DJ Shadow. He co-founded CultureStr/ke, a national network for socially engaged artists and is the founding editor of the daily news website, ColorLines.

Currently the executive director of Stanford University’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts, he is at work on two book projects: “Youth,” for Picador’s “Big Ideas/Small Books” series, and a biography of Bruce Lee.

Awards