Ta-Nehisi Coates came home on Thursday to discuss issues of race in America. The Atlantic writer is a national authority on the topic, but the events that surrounded the talk undoubtedly hit close on a personal level, as Coates grew up in the West Baltimore neighborhood where Freddie Gray was arrested.
In addressing the recent upheaval in his hometown, Coates zeroed in on Gov. Larry Hogan’s statement that “violence will not be tolerated.” Growing up in West Baltimore, Coates said, “violence was tolerated for all my life.” Every single decision he made as a child—which clothes to wear, which route to take, how to spend his lunch hour—”was about avoidance of violence,” he said.
Watch the full talk:
Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream
