Snider Hall was almost at full capacity as students, faculty and members of the community gathered to watch Dr. A.D. Carson perform “This Is the Next Time: Reflections on Resistance Through Rhymes and Revolutions.”
Carson, who is a hip-hop professor at the University of Virginia, submitted his 34-track album, “Owning My Masters: The Rhetoric of Rhymes and Revolutions,” as his doctoral dissertation at Clemson University and now uses it as a way of piecing together history with hip-hop as his chosen medium. 
As a part of Stan State’s celebration of Black History Month, Dr. Carson expertly tied the history of the United States to current events through his raps. On his track “Good Mourning America,” Carson rapped, “America’s nightmare, is waking up,” which captured the general idea of his performance and set the tone for the rest of the night.
Through his chosen medium, he was able to grab the attention of everyone in the room and all eyes were fixated on him as he bounced from speaking to rapping almost effortlessly. 
Dr. Aletha Harven, the faculty advisor for the Black Student Union and a professor for Child Development, spoke about the impact Dr. Carson may have on the students in attendance. “Our students can really connect to him, because he’s focused on hip-hop…I hope that [students] can find their passion and pursue their education along those lines, just like he did.”
On a similar note, Dr. Bret Carroll (History), noted the type of impact Dr. Carson can have. He said, “I think he can have an enormous impact. He speaks a language that more and more people these days are speaking, especially young people.”
Dr. A.D. Carson ended the performance answering questions from the crowd and when one audience member asked how institutions can support Black and Ethnic Studies, he simply replied: “Hire people.”
He put on a show for the audience in an informative, interactive setting that addressed uncomfortable topics in a way that his listeners could connect with quite easily.
It was a performance that will undoubtedly have a big impact on those who attended and one of the stand out moments from Stan State’s celebration of Black History Month.