Artist Janelle Monáe To Be Recognized by Campus Groups

American R&B and soul artist Janelle Monáe will be recognized by two campus organizations for her professional achievements and contributions to ongoing conversations on gender and race.

The Harvard College Women’s Center announced over the weekend that Monáe had been honored with its inaugural Award for Achievement in Arts and Media. The Harvard Black Men’s Forum also honored Monáe earlier in the month, naming her its 2014 Woman of the Year and selecting her as keynote speaker for the organization’s annual Celebration of Black Women Gala.

Monáe’s recognition at the College coincides with the announcement earlier this month that the singer will be the headlining act at this year’s Yardfest.

The Women’s Center, the Black Men’s Forum, the College Events Board, and the Harvard Concert Commission have been in discussions since early fall to coordinate Monáe’s planned visit to Harvard in April, according to the Assistant Dean of Student Life for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Emelyn A. dela Peña.

“Ms. Monáe is an ideal artist to cross the boundaries for all three events given her prominence as an artist, her focus on strong women, and her commentary on the African American community through her music,” dela Peña wrote in an email.

Vice President of the Black Men’s Forum Fadhal A. Moore ’15 agreed that Monáe was a great choice for each of the organizations to recognize.

“It was perfect timing,” Moore said, citing Monáe’s strong performance skills, social commentary, and increased media exposure following an album release last year and a collaboration with the band Fun on the Grammy award-winning song “We Are Young” as the basis for the groups’ decisions.

Moore said that he did not think there would be any “political problems” with Monáe’s visit to Harvard, in contrast to the student and administrative protest following last year’s selection of the rapper Tyga to headline Yardfest.

Though Monáe’s recognition on campus occurs only a few weeks after campaigns such as “I, Too, Am Harvard” made national headlines and administrators spoke in favor of institutional support for minority groups, Moore said that it is just a “fortunate coincidence” that Monáe fit into the ongoing narrative about race on campus.

“These campaigns are relatively new or have just come to light,” Moore said. “Coordination with Janelle has been going on for a long time.”

Both groups will recognize Monáe on April 14, the day after Yardfest. In the early afternoon, the Women’s Center will host a student conversation with Monáe in Fong Auditorium on gender and music, which will be followed by a presentation of Monáe’s award. In the evening, she will serve as keynote speaker at the 20th annual Celebration of Black Women Gala hosted by the Black Men’s Forum.

—Staff writer Quynh-Nhu Le can be reached at quynhnhule@thecrimson.com.

—Staff Writer Joanna R. Schacter can be reached at joanna.schacter@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaSchacter.