NORFOLK, Va. — New York Times bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates visited Norfolk State University Thursday.
Coates spoke at the L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center about his coming of age book, "The Beautiful Struggle," according to NSU. The book was selected as the NSU Common Reader for all first year and transfer students in the fall.
Coates discussed growing up in Baltimore as a Black man in the 1980s, according to NSU. He said he had to focus on survival rather than education because of the crack epidemic, HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy and gun violence.
He said that the book title, "The Beautiful Struggle," is informed by the HBCU experience.
"These institutions were founded to educate free descendants of slaves, but so many beautiful things have come out of it," Coates said. "Oppression is unfortunate. But one of the things about being forced to live at the bottom is you get to confront the elements and truths of the world.”
