Ibram X. Kendi Biography

Ibram X. Kendi was born on August 13, 1982, in Queens, New York City. His parents were activists who were highly influenced by Christian Black liberation theology and the Black Power movement of the 1960s. Kendi earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University in journalism and African American studies and went on to Temple University in Philadelphia, where he earned his PhD in African American Studies. Kendi used his knowledge and expertise to pen articles for prestigious publications such as The Atlantic and Time magazine. He is a prolific author, having written The Black Campus Movement: Black Students and the Racial Reconstruction of Higher Education, 1965–72 (2012) and Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (2016), which earned him the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2016. Only age 34 at the time, Kendi was the youngest author to be so honored. That same year, Kendi became a full professor at Boston University. Three years later, he was honored by Boston University, which elevated him to the position of endowed professor.

In 2020, Kendi founded the Center for Antiracist Research at American University. One year later, he received a MacArthur fellowship, popularly known as the “genius award.” In 2021, Kendi was included among The Root 100 list of the most influential African Americans between the ages of 25 and 45, and he has been regarded as one of the most insightful and original thinkers on the subject of racism in America.