Jeffrey Ogbonna Green Ogbar was born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, California. He received his BA in History from Morehouse College in Atlanta ('91). He earned his MA ('93) and Ph.D. ('97) in U.S. History with a minor in African studies from Indiana University in Bloomington. Since 1997 he has taught at the University of Connecticut's Department of History. From 2003-2009 he served as the Director of the Institute for African American Studies. He served as Associate Dean for the Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 2009-2012. In June 2012 he was named the University's Vice Provost for Diversity.

Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar's research interests include the 20th century United States with a focus in African American history. More specifically, Dr. Ogbar studies black nationalism and radical social protest. He has developed courses, lectured and published articles on subjects as varied as Pan-Africanism, African American Catholics, civil rights struggles, black nationalism and hip-hop. Prof. Ogbar has held fellowships at Harvard University's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research, where he completed work on his book, "Black Power: Radical Politics and African American Identity." He also held fellowships at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City, and the Africana studies program at the University of Miami where he conducted research for his book "Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap." His latest book is an edited volume, "The Harlem Renaissance Revisited: Politics, Arts and Letters."

Along with research and teaching, Dr. Ogbar has enjoyed his role as the advisor to numerous student organizations, as well as working in various community service projects.

Hip Hop, Rap & Hip Hop, Music, Black Heritage, Culture