05/29/2026
Meet Our Week 12 Professor – Jay Kemp
We’re excited to welcome Janai “Yannae” Kemp, better known as Jay Kemp, as our Week 12 professor for the Rites of Passage Program, where he will be leading a discussion on Present-Day African American Issues.
Jay is a cultural educator, youth advocate, speaker, media personality, and community leader whose work sits at the intersection of hip hop, healing, Black identity, and social transformation.
With more than 20 years of experience mentoring youth and facilitating conversations around race, trauma, culture, media influence, and systems of oppression, Jay brings a perspective that is both deeply informed and rooted in lived experience.
He has spoken and facilitated workshops at institutions including Yale University, UConn, and Quinnipiac University, challenging audiences to think critically about the social, political, and psychological forces shaping Black communities today.
Jay is also the creator of the groundbreaking lecture “The Hip Hop Perversion,” a nationally recognized presentation examining the relationship between government, media, corporate influence, and hip hop culture. He later brought this work directly into the classroom through a Hip Hop Sociology course, helping students analyze the intersections of music, race, economics, identity, and systemic inequities.
From his work as creator of the Moving Target Podcast and Radio Show to his role as a youth leader and transformational speaker, Jay continues to empower young people to find their voice, understand their history, and envision a future beyond survival.
As we enter our final week of class before preparing for Ghana, we are honored to have Jay challenge our scholars to think critically about the issues impacting Black communities today and their role in shaping tomorrow.
🌍✈️ Week 12 of 13… Ghana is almost here!
