Jabari M. Evans

I am an Assistant Professor of Race and Media at the University of South Carolina and earned my PhD from the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. My research focuses on the digital spaces that urban youth and young adults of color develop and inhabit, collectively and individually, to learn about and understand their social environments, emotional development, academic achievement and professional aspirations. Within these sub-cultures, I often examine the self-expression of Black youth, often highlighting their communication with digital tools and technologies. As a secondary focus, I also research issues of race and representation in creative and cultural industries. My recent work has focused on how youth make meaning of Hip-Hop composition in formal class settings as well has how youth digital media programs produce civic engagement in their participants. My book project (Hip-Hop Civics, University of Michigan), centers on a Hip-Hop Education program in Chicago Public Schools, has been recognized for awards by the International Communication Association and has been covered in popular press by the Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, Rolling Out Magazine, Ebony Magazine and Chicago Crain's Business. Additionally, I am an affiliate of Microsoft Research's Social Media Collective and a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Rebooting Social Media in the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University.