Columnist Briahna Joy Gray, esq., will be the speaker for the annual Black History Month celebration at Illinois State University.
A senior politics editor at The Intercept, Gray will give a talk titled “The Identity Politics Wars: 2020 Edition” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 19, in the Old Main Room of the Bone Student Center.
With work appearing in The Guardian, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Current Affairs, and The Week, Gray is also an opinion columnist with a focus on issues relating to identity and culture. Her insights regarding the weaponization of identity in the contemporary political sphere can be found in the Fusion documentary Trumpland: Kill All Normies, as well as a variety of podcasts and online programs, including NPR, TYT, and The Real News.
Prior to joining The Intercept, she practiced law at a boutique litigation firm in New York City and was contributing editor to Current Affairs Magazine. She is also the co-host of the podcast SWOTI (Someone’s Wrong on the Internet). She received a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School in 2011, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College in 2007.
The talk is sponsored by the Office of the President, the History Department, and the African American Studies Program.
The Illinois State University Speaker Series seeks to bring innovative and enlightening speakers to the campus with the aim of providing the community with a platform to foster dialogue, cultivate enriching ideas, and continue an appreciation of learning as an active and lifelong process. All talks are free and open to the public.
