* Coates explains the derivation and meaning of his name as follows: “[F]or the record, Ta-Nehisi (pronounced Tah-Nuh-Hah-See) is an Egyptian name for ancient Nubia. I came up in a time when African/Arabic names were just becoming popular among black parents…. My Dad had to be different, though. Couldn’t just give me a run of the mill African name. I had to be a nation.”
* From 2012-13, Coates was the MLK Visiting Scholar for writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – extremely unusual for someone without a PhD, and virtually unheard of for someone without even a bachelor’s degree.
* In the fall of 2014, Coates joined the City University of New York as its Journalist-in-Residence.
* Coates has been a guest columnist for such publications as The New York Times (where he turned down an offer for a job as a regular columnist), The Washington Post, the Washington Monthly, and O Magazine.
* To view a list of professional awards and honors Coates has received, click here.