Supporters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) welcomed Howard University's announcement late last week of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's appointment
Dr. Crystal A. deGregory
Kendi, a historian and antiracist activist, has made waves since publishing Stamped from the Beginning, which won the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction. Most recently, he was the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, where he founded the Center for Antiracist Research under a five-year charter in 2020.
With Kendi's departure comes news that the center's charter was not renewed and is now set to close. The Jamaica, New York native—named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in 2020—likely saw this coming. His tough and controversial leadership decisions, set against a backdrop of the university's retreat from diversity efforts, led to a 2023 investigation into the center's finances and culture. However, an external review found no evidence of financial mismanagement.
Still, that fight was nothing compared to the stage IV colorectal cancer he had already faced at only 35. And similarly, it paled in comparison to the stage IV metastatic breast cancer diagnosis his wife, Sadiqa Kendi, received in 2023. A renowned injury prevention expert and pediatric emergency physician, she will serve as Chief Medical Officer for Safe Kids Worldwide and Associate Division Chief of Academic Affairs and Research at Children's National Hospital.
"Watching her accomplish her goals, watching her joy," declared Kendi, "is one of the ultimate joys of my life."
In sharing the news of his appointment, the 2005 alumnus of Florida A&M University (FAMU) described his move as "the most fulfilling career choice I have ever made." He added, "I can't wait to get started."
He promises that his work at Howard will continue to dismantle racist structures and welcome scholars from across the African diaspora in community and solidarity. If Kendi's track record is any sign, more good work will come. His appointment at Howard follows that of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, who joined Howard as the inaugural Knight Chair in Race and Journalism and established the Center for Journalism & Democracy, as well as Howard alumnus Ta-Nehisi Coates, who currently serves as Sterling Brown Endowed Chair. Many hope their return can be a prolonged watershed moment for prominent Black scholars returning to HBCUs.
