Empire State College Alumnus Bob Herbert Hosts Segment of PBS Documentary, “Chasing the Dream”

Bob Herbert ‘88, hosted a segment of the PBS series “Chasing the Dream,” on Monday night (March 6). Herbert’s segment, “Against All Odds: The Fight for a Black Middle Class with Bob Herbert" explores the often heroic efforts of black families to pursue the American dream in the face of unrelenting barriers, according to the PBS website.

The documentary notes that, despite such well-known and successful blacks as the Obamas, Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Misty Copeland, Stephen Curry and more, still today, 40 percent of black children live in poverty, and black wealth comprises only one nickel for every dollar of white wealth. The film features stories of people like U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland), who shared his painful family history of losing his grandfather due to a segregated hospital, and Isabel Wilkerson, author of an esteemed book about the Great Migration, “The Warmth of Other Suns.”

Herbert was for many years a well-known op-ed columnist for The New York Times, writing on race and social issues, as well as having careers at the Daily News and NBC News. He currently is a senior fellow at think tank Demos and writes for its journal, The American Prospect. He graduated from the college with a degree in journalism, although at the time, he was already a success in his field. He began his career at the Star Ledger, in Newark, N.J.

 In 2014, Herbert published his book, “Losing Our Way: An Intimate Portrait of a Troubled America.^” The documentary can be streamed at www.pbs.org.