Being born in 1974 set me on a course to come of age as a person cloaked in the international phenomenon that Afrika Bambaataa would name Hip-hop. Its infectious elements of graf writin’, dee-jayin’, breakin’, emceein’, and knowledge called me, initiated me and sent me back out into the world to live its truth.
– Be A Father to Your Child: Real Talk from Black Men on Family, Love and Fatherhood (Soft Skull Press, 2008) edited by April Silver
Name: Lasana (translation: Poet of the People)
Occupation: Thinker/Solutions Expert
Super Powers: Ability to simplify complex issues; quick wit
Education: Autodidactic; B.A. in History and Speech Communications – Texas State University
Interests: Reading, Traveling, Basketball (playing/fan) and Baseball (fan)
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona (reside); San Antonio, Texas (came of age); Los Angeles, California (home)
Lasana Omar Hotep is a consultant, educator and researcher committed to providing insight and practical strategies in the arenas of community development, student engagement and organizational efficiency. He uses the mediums of public speaking, workshop facilitation, panel discussions, writing and one-on-one consultation to communicate his erudition, ideas and techniques.
Lasana’s fact-based, witty, multi-media presentations inform and inspire individuals to think critically about society. He leverages his combined experience in media, business and education to provide a refreshingly informed perspective on history, culture and politics. Professionally, Lasana has served as an associate producer in television news, vice-president of a wireless phone franchise, an elementary school teacher and a program coordinator at the university level.
One of his most notable achievements is developing the nationally recognized African-American Men of Arizona State University (AAMASU) program. AAMASU is a college readiness program targeting high school students in the Phoenix Metropolitan area and a college organization. The program has been the subject of doctoral dissertations and serves as a model for several institutions with initiatives targeting Black males. He shared his programmatic insights with the Turning the Tassel Symposium at Morehouse College and has consulted several colleges and universities on their Black male enrichment programs. Lasana also serves as a faculty member of the Student African-American Brotherhood (SAAB).
Authors of edited volumes have solicited his unique perspective and analysis. Lasana has contributed chapters to several publications including African-American Men in College (Jossey-Bass 2006), The State of Black Arizona (ASU 2008), Be A Father to Your Child: Real Talk from Black Men of the Hip Hop Generation (Soft Skull 2008) and The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life (Atria 2008).
Lasana is currently the Lead Consultant of Hotep Consultants and a student affairs staff member at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.