Lauren Michele Jackson facts for kids

Lauren Michele Jackson was born in 1991. She is an American writer and professor. She studies and writes about culture. Currently, she is an assistant professor at Northwestern University. She teaches English and African American studies there.

Her first book, called White Negroes, came out in 2019. It is a collection of essays. The book looks closely at something called cultural appropriation. This is when parts of one culture are used by another, often without understanding or respect.

Lauren Jackson's Education and Work

Early Studies and Degrees

Lauren Jackson went to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. There, she earned her first college degree. Later, she studied at the University of Chicago. She earned her PhD in English Language and Literature. Her PhD research explored different ways people express themselves.

Becoming a Professor

In 2019, Dr. Jackson joined Northwestern University. She became an assistant professor. She teaches in two departments: English and African American studies.

Writing for Magazines and Journals

While she was still a student, Lauren Jackson started writing. She wrote for many popular magazines. These included Vulture, The Paris Review, and The New Yorker. Her writing helped her share her ideas with a wider audience.

Her First Book: White Negroes

Dr. Jackson's first book is titled White Negroes: Cornrows Were in Vogue... and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation. It was published in November 2019. The book talks about how cultural appropriation shows up. It looks at music, art, and even internet memes. The title of her book was inspired by an older essay.

In September 2020, she became a contributing writer for The New Yorker. This means she writes articles for the magazine regularly.