About this Event
Trigger Words examines how language in the United States has been manipulated and politicized to sow division and dehumanization, rather than to encourage inclusion and equity. From “woke” to “DEI” to “CRT,” words that once emerged from marginalized communities to speak truth to power have been weaponized by conservative movements—especially the MAGA wing of the Republican Party—to stoke fear, shut down dialogue, and preserve systems of oppression. At the same time, however, language has been coopted by many in liberal spaces in watered-down ways that remove the overall message that was intended to be communicated by said language, such as switching terminology from “homeless” to “unhoused,” “African American” to “BIPOC,” or “Latino” to “Latinx.”
This incisive and thoughtful look at how our language has been dangerously politicized by both sides of the aisle is not just a diagnosis—it is a roadmap. With experience as a university lecturer, community activist, award-winning poet, renowned professional speaker, and author (Lies About Black People), Dr. Omekongo Dibinga charts a path forward to reclaim and reframe these terms in their original contexts and intent.
Trigger Words is an urgent and hopeful call to action that shows that healing begins when we stop simply repeating these words like ideological mantras or rejecting them out of political fear. Instead, the book invites readers to understand the deeper histories behind our most loaded social vocabulary, challenge manipulation and misuse, and foster authentic dialogue that connects rather than divides.
Dr. Omekongo Dibinga is joining us on the Busboys stage alongside Ebony McMorris to share “a masterly unmasking of the emotions, intentions, and significations of highly charged words and their meanings in our society” (Michael Eric Dyson, author of Entertaining Race). Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Dibinga will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Doors open to guests at 4:30pm. Our program begins at 5:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of TRIGGER WORDS will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is IN PERSON and will NOT be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Dr. Omékongo Dibinga has devoted his life to challenging bias and smashing stereotypes for over thirty years since first getting involved as a community activist. Dr. Dibinga is Senior Professorial Lecturer of Intercultural Communication at American University. He is an award-winning poet and a world-renowned professional speaker working with corporations and school districts across the world on leveraging diversity. His undergraduate and doctoral work has centered around issues facing disenfranchised communities not only in America but across the globe, which has led him to live and work in almost thirty countries. Dr. Dibinga earned his Ph.D. in international education policy at the University of Maryland, where his dissertation centered on post-Civil Rights-era Black youth. He also worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Diverse Students Initiative and provides leadership, educational, and diversity empowerment as a consultant and motivational speaker for organizations, associations, and institutions around the world. He lives in Maryland.
Ebony McMorris, a distinguished and award-winning journalist, boasts a dynamic 20-year media career spanning network television and radio. With integrity and resilience, she has cemented her status as a powerful voice for the Black community in the United States.
In 2020 she was appointed the White House News Correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks (AURN). McMorris assumes a significant role in a company celebrated as the #1 Nielsen-rated national audio network reaching African Americans. AURN commands the ears of over 40 million weekly listeners through its 6,000 affiliates, delivering programming that encapsulates the richness, creativity, and potency of African American culture.
In her pivotal position, McMorris graces the White House briefing room daily, raising the tough, critical questions that keep the Black agenda at the forefront of national discourse. She excels in her in-depth interviews with top political leaders, activists, and change-makers, resonating with her impactful motto: #WhenIGoInWeGoIn.
In addition to delivering daily on-air news stories, she hosts a weekly podcast called, On The Record, featuring newsmakers and political voices. You can also hear her weekly with WHUR's Sunni In The City, for her White House Wednesday segment. In addition, every Friday at 10 am, hear McMorris live on Instagram for her show Business For The Culture, where she unearths opportunities and resources for African Americans, fostering economic empowerment and generational wealth.
Prior to her time with AURN, McMorris served as the National News Correspondent for Reach Media, a subsidiary of Urban One. Her esteemed portfolio includes roles as a reporter for News One Now with Roland Martin on TV One, producer for NBC Network News, and NBC4 DC, and a researcher for The Chris Matthews Show.
Inspired by her profound love for her people and culture, McMorris is unwavering in her commitment to bring clarity to the issues affecting the African-American community. She lives by the words of Alice Dunnigan, the first African American woman to receive White House credentials: ‘While the role of the Black press is that of objectively reporting the news as it happens, it has another function equally as important - that of fighting oppression.' This principle is the heartbeat of her mission.
A proud native of Washington, D.C., she is deeply committed to mentoring young adults, empowering the next generation through community engagement and media education.
BOOK DETAILS
Trigger Words
How Political Language Has Made America Less Inclusive (And How To Bring Us Back Together)
By Dr. Omekongo Dibinga
November 17, 2026| Hardcover, 264 Pages, $26.95
Event venue & nearby stays
Busboys and Poets, 5331 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, United States
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