Calenthia Dowdy

Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology with a focus in Race, Gender and Social Justice. I was born and raised in a small middle class family in the city of Love, Philadelphia, PA. Earned a B.A. at Temple University, an M.A.R. at Westminster Theological Seminary and an M.L.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. My interests have been in ethnicity and faith, cultural studies and international relationships. Many of my closest friendships are cross-cultural having traveled and spent time in Europe, South Africa and Israel. I teach classes in urban youth culture at a small liberal arts university on the east coast.

My research will look at underground and grassroots hip-hop culture and activism in Philadelphia and Washington D.C. I am curious about the ways hip-hop and activism merge and express themselves, along with the various forms and styles of the culture and the music. Hip-Hop includes powerful elements of race, gender and social justice. Other activities: The Christian church in America has been and is still intrinsically racist, sexist and homophobic, therefore I serve on several teams of anti-racism analysis trainers where we work to dismantle systemic racism in churches and other organizations.