Marcyliena H. Morgan, former professor of African and African American studies at Harvard University, passed away on September 28. She was 75 years old.
A native of Chicago, Dr. Morgan earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Illinois Chicago. She went on to receive a second master’s degree from the University of Essex in England and a Ph.D. in linguistic anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. Before her career at Harvard, she held tenured faculty appointments in anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles and in communications at Stanford University.
At Harvard, Dr. Morgan held the title of Ernest E. Monrad Professor of Social Sciences. She founded the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute within Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. As a scholar, she focused her work on creativity among urban youth, women in hiphop, and hiphop as a vehicle for communication about issues of health, politics, and social justice. Throughout her career, Dr. Morgan authored three books, including The Real Hiphop: Battling for Knowledge, Power, and Respect in the LA Underground (Duke University Press, 2009).