Jelani Cobb is one of the sharpest, brightest, most poignant writers and observers of the moment that we’re in. Cobb is a staff writer for The New Yorker, where he writes about race, politics, history, and culture. He is also an author and professor of journalism at Columbia University. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Cobb is a graduate of Howard University and Rutgers University, where he received his doctorate in American history. In 2015, Cobb won the Sidney Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism for his columns on race, law enforcement, and racial injustice. He is author of the 2010 book, The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress.