In honor of Black Music Month, NewsOne presents MY MUSICAL INSPIRATION, where newsmakers and celebrities talk about the artist who most inspires them in their lives and work.

RELATED:Rev. Jamal H. Bryant: ‘Marvin Gaye Had The Biggest Impact On My Manhood, Methodology’^[1]

Professor, author, political commentator, and television host Melissa Harris-Perry^[2] (pictured) has emerged as one of the leading young voices on political and cultural issues, especially those that affect the African-American community. Although Professor Harris-Perry has made her mark as a notable talk show guest and speaker, she now commands her own eponymously-named live MSNBC weekend program full of spirited banter and discussion.

The author of the proactive “Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought” and her latest title “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America,” sat with NewsOne to discuss how music has influenced her work as a professor of political studies at Tulane University, the balance of being a hip-hop fan and feminist, and openly shared how an iconic R&B singer inspires her. She also lets NewsOne in on her current musical obsession with R&B’s top diva.

Check out the interview with writer D.L. Chandler and Melissa Harris-Perry below:

RELATED:Rev. Al Sharpton: ‘James Brown Gave Us In-Your-Face Black Authenticity’^[3]

References

1. ^{^}Rev. Jamal H. Bryant: ‘Marvin Gaye Had The Biggest Impact On My Manhood, Methodology’ (newsone.com)
2. ^{^}Melissa Harris-Perry (newsone.com)
3. ^{^}Rev. Al Sharpton: ‘James Brown Gave Us In-Your-Face Black Authenticity’ (newsone.com)