Ta-Nehisi Coates Reflects On Returning To Alma Mater Howard University As A Professor

In an interview with Jarrett Carter Sr. of HBCU Digest, Ta-Nehisi Coates shares his joy of returning to his alma mater Howard University as a professor within the College of Arts and Sciences. 

One primary advantage of attending a predominantly Black college is the one-on-one attention and genuine care that is provided to students by the professors, and Howard University is certainly no exception. Coates reflected on the teachers that invested in him and taught him how to think about the world. “There really is no higher honor to rejoin the faculty that made so many of my achievements possible,” expressed Coates, a New York Times Bestselling author and the recipient of multiple prestigious literary awards.  

“I heard a wise man once say, ‘A man who hates home will never be happy.’ And it is in the pursuit of wisdom and happiness that I return to join the esteemed faculty of Howard University. This is the faculty that molded me. This is the faculty that strengthened me,” Coates said in a statement announcing the position. 

As he prepares to return two decades later to the university that shaped him, Coates ponders on how HBCUs have changed since his own experience, and the impact he intends on making for his prospective students. “People look at a place like Howard as a refuge, which we’ve always felt. So I feel like my job is to help them get the most out of that refuge that they possibly can,” said Coates. Mostly, he wants to push students to be the best that they can be intellectually. He’s looking forward to knowing with certainty that , despite how society at large may choose to view them, no Black student in his classroom can ever be considered inferior simply because of their race.  

 According to Howard, Coates is set to begin the position after he completes several current obligations. To listen to the interview in full, please visit HBCU Digest.