Ellington

What does the presidency of Barack Obama mean for the African American agenda? Also, what is the African American agenda?

If anyone can answer those questions, it's Dr. K. C. Morrison. Morrison—who heads the political science department at Mississippi State University—will present a scholarly discussion of race and the Obama presidency at Tougaloo College.

A native of Edwards, Morrison did his undergraduate studies at Tougaloo and went on to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his master's and doctorate degrees. Initially, Morrison's work focused on African politics, but the scope of his scholarship later expanded to include black politics in the U.S.

Before heading to Mississippi State in 2009, Morrison spent a decade at the University of Missouri, where he taught courses on Third World and African politics, and black political leadership. (Full disclosure: This reporter took several of Morrison's courses at Mizzou).

Morrison has also taught at Syracuse University, where he chaired Afro-American Studies for five years, Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., and Tougaloo.

Morrison's lecture begins at 6 p.m. in Woodworth Chapel on Tougaloo's campus. Following the presentation, there'll be a watch party of the second presidential debate between Obama and Republican nominee Gov. Mitt Romney. Afterward, journalism professor Eric Stringfellow will moderate a discussion.