What I Know Now

Stories

Jelani Cobb

Through his books, New Yorker articles, and teaching and serving as an administrator at prestigious universities—including Columbia University, where he is dean of the Graduate School of Journalism—Rutgers alumnus Jelani Cobb is a leading voice in the national conversation on how race, politics, history, and popular culture intersect in America. In his own words, Cobb shares his story about the twists and turns of his lifelong love of learning.