Jelani Cobb Interview: Race, Politics, Obama, & The Complexities of Identity

Описание: Jelani Cobb discusses the impact of Barack Obama’s book “Dreams of My Father”, describes Obama as an amazing writer who drew comparisons to Abraham Lincoln, and examines Obama’s presidency in retrospect.

Jelani Cobb is an author, journalist, and educator, currently serving as the Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School and as a staff writer at The New Yorker. Cobb has been contributing to The New Yorker since 2012, and became a staff writer in 2015, frequently writing about race, politics, history, and culture. For his columns specifically on race, the police, and injustice, he won the 2015 Sidney Hillman Award for Opinion and Analysis Journalism. Before joining the Columbia faculty, Cobb served as Associate Professor of History and Director of the Africana Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut, where he specialized in post-Civil War African American history, 20th century American politics, and the history of the Cold War. Cobb has also been the recipient of fellowships from Fulbright and Ford Foundations. In 2010, he authored The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress, and in 2008, wrote a piece for The Washington Post regarding the tortured relationship between Obama and several civil rights leaders. Cobb also served as a delegate and historian for the 5th Congressional District of Georgia at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

From the 2021 three-part HBO documentary series Obama: In Pursuit Of A More Perfect Union. The personal and political journey of President Barack Obama is explored that weaves together conversations with colleagues, friends, and critics, alongside his own speeches and interviews.

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Jelani Cobb, Author and Journalist
Interviewed By: Peter Kunhardt
Interview Date: November 19, 2018

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