Dr. Amir Whitaker is a human rights lawyer, film maker, and founder of the non-profit Project Knucklehead. Amir has traveled to over 20 countries tracing the influence and music of the Afro-diaspora. In the process, he has taught workshops on Hip Hop and Beatmaking in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala, and other countries. He is the co-founder of the Afro Unidad, a cultural movement that united Afro-descendants around the world through art and justice. Dr. Whitaker is also a published author and his “Encyclopedia of Afro-Diaspora Music '' compiles over 200 styles of Afro music across the Americas. His research also focuses on the criminalization of Afro culture and the drum throughout history and can be viewed at www.afrounity.org. Amir received his doctorate in Educational Psychology from USC, law degree from the University of Miami, and Bachelors from Rutgers University. He currently works as a lawyer for the ACLU of SoCal and previously worked as a researcher at UCLA.