Melissa Harris-Perry: ‘Stevie Wonder Is The One Voice That Will Always Stop Me In My Tracks’

In honor of Black Music Month, NewsOne presents MY MUSICAL INSPIRATION, where newsmakers and celebrities talk about the artist who most inspires them in their lives and work.

RELATED:Rev. Jamal H. Bryant: ‘Marvin Gaye Had The Biggest Impact On My Manhood, Methodology’^[1]

Professor, author, political commentator, and television host Melissa Harris-Perry^[2] (pictured) has emerged as one of the leading young voices on political and cultural issues, especially those that affect the African-American community. Although Professor Harris-Perry has made her mark as a notable talk show guest and speaker, she now commands her own eponymously-named live MSNBC weekend program full of spirited banter and discussion.

The author of the proactive “Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought” and her latest title “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America,” sat with NewsOne to discuss how music has influenced her work as a professor of political studies at Tulane University, the balance of being a hip-hop fan and feminist, and openly shared how an iconic R&B singer inspires her. She also lets NewsOne in on her current musical obsession with R&B’s top diva.

Check out the interview with writer D.L. Chandler and Melissa Harris-Perry below:

RELATED:Rev. Al Sharpton: ‘James Brown Gave Us In-Your-Face Black Authenticity’^[3]

References

1. ^{^}Rev. Jamal H. Bryant: ‘Marvin Gaye Had The Biggest Impact On My Manhood, Methodology’ (newsone.com)
2. ^{^}Melissa Harris-Perry (newsone.com)
3. ^{^}Rev. Al Sharpton: ‘James Brown Gave Us In-Your-Face Black Authenticity’ (newsone.com)