Millikin University is pleased to welcome award-winning professor, rapper, and author Dr. A.D. Carson ’04 for the 2026 James W. Moore Lecture on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. in the University Commons Banquet Rooms. The lecture is free and open to the public.
A Millikin and Decatur Public School graduate, Dr. Carson will read from his new book, “Being Dope: Hip-Hop & Theory through Mixtape Memoir,” published by Oxford University Press.
Dr. Carson is Associate Professor of Hip-Hop and the Founding Director of the Rap Lab at the University of Virginia. Carson’s doctoral dissertation, “Owning My Masters: The Rhetorics of Rhymes & Revolutions,” is believed to be the first rap album accepted to earn a Ph.D. in the U.S. His 2020 mixtap/e/ssay, “i used to love to dream,” is the first rap album ever peer-reviewed for release by an academic publisher.
James W. Moore Lecture Series
The James W. Moore Lecture Series was established in 1991 to honor the late James W. Moore of Decatur. Funds for this endowment were contributed by Mr. Moore’s children, James M. (Mac) Moore of St. Paul, Minn., and Madeline Moore of Portland, Ore. Mr. Moore and his late wife, Emmy Lou, were longtime supporters of the University and the Decatur community. Mr. Moore retired as Vice President of the A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company, now Primient, after 36 years of service.
The purpose of this lecture series is to provide speakers who represent innovative views in the arts or politics that would both challenge and inspire students. The intent of this endowed gift is to enable Millikin students to hear from people who might not otherwise travel to Decatur.