Skip Navigation
Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

MSNBC's Resident Racist

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Jul 15 2009, 7:25 PM ET Comment

It's incredible. I keep telling myself to not be shocked. Pat Buchanan wants access to Sonia Sotomayor's LSAT scores. It's absolutely amazing that this dude has a job on a job, and ultimately, it says a lot about his employers and the people who enjoy his company. After watching the video, it's worth looking into some of Pat's other views. Among them these choice words for black folks:

...no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream. Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants.

Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.

There's more if you want to dig. It's amazing to me that people actually sit next to this cat, and have the balls to let the word "postracial" pass across their lips.

Props to Gene Robinson for fighting the fight. I guess I feel like words have their limits. Watch at the end where he just totally breaks down and claims "Everyone graduates summa cum laude from Harvard, now." 



Presented by

More at The Atlantic

For the 1st Time Ever, a Majority of the Unemployed Have Attended College The New Unemployed
Which of Today's Pop Newcomers Will End Up One-Hit Wonders? Which Pop Newcomers Will Be One-Hit Wonders?
It's Not Just Porn: Why Ultra-Orthodox Jews Fear the Internet Why America's Ultra-Orthodox Jews Fear the Internet
How One Mother's Story Helped Change Obama's Gay Marriage Stance How A Mother's Story Changed Obama's Gay-Marriage Stance
The New Economics of Happiness What's the Happiest Country in the World?

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register.
blog comments powered by Disqus
View All Correspondents

The Biggest Story in Photos

The American West, 150 Years Ago

May 24, 2012

Subscribe Now

SAVE 59%! 10 issues JUST $2.45 PER COPY

Facebook

Newsletters

Sign up to receive our free newsletters

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

Ta-Nehisi Coates
from the Magazine

Why Do So Few Blacks Study the Civil War?

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an Atlantic senior editor.

Fade to White

A filmmaker maps Austin’s shifting ethnic landscape.

The Legacy of Malcolm X

Why his vision lives on in Barack Obama