Navigating Race and Responsibility

This chapter explores the profound influence of W.E. Du Bois and James Baldwin on the speaker's journey as a public intellectual, emphasizing the role of social responsibility in academia. The discussion reveals the challenges of confronting racial bias within a changing societal landscape, as well as the emotional toll of researching historical injustices. Through candid reflections, the speaker highlights the complexities of bias, the discomfort of engaging with sensitive topics, and the necessity of making scholarly work accessible to the public.