Dr. Natalie Hopkinson—Community Connector
Dr. Natalie Hopkinson is a writer, cultural advocate and Associate Professor of Media, Democracy and Society at the American University. Previously, she was staff editor, writer, and columnist at The Washington Post, The Root and Huffington Post. Her books, including, “A Mouth is Always Muzzled,” “Go-Go Live” and “Deconstructing Tyrone,” have been recognized by the Hurston/Wright Legacy, PEN-America and the Independent Publishers Association. Her scholarship and activism as a co-founder of the Don’t Mute DC movement influenced the 2020 legislation making Go-Go the Official Music of Washington, D.C., and she was the chief architect of a $3 million plan for pandemic-relief to artists and preservationists. Her cultural influence was recognized by organizations including the Capstone Group, the Mayor’s Commission on Women and Poverty & Race Research Action Council. In February 2020, she was sworn in as a member of the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities. She is a graduate of Howard University and the University of Maryland-College Park, where she earned a doctorate in journalism and public communication. She lives in Washington, D.C.