Don’t CAll him just A CollEgE proFEssor. intErnEt EntrEprEnEur, tv pErsonAlity, ADvisor to prEsiDEnts, AnD FriEnD to thE riCh AnD powErFul woulD BE morE ACCurAtE.
hEnry louis "skip" gAtEs jr. is BEttEr known For his ACtivitiEs outsiDE thE ACADEmy. this wEEk hE solDAFriCAnA Com, A wEBsitE hE CrEAtED with A FEllow hArvArD univErsity proFEssor, to timE wArnEr. tErms oF thE DEAl wErEn’t rEvEAlED, though thE wAll strEEt journAl pEggED thE priCE At morE thAn $10 million, with gAtEs rEAping up to $1 million. timE wArnEr will inCorporAtE thE sitE, A portAl with nEws AnD inFormAtion ABout pEoplE oFAFriCAn DEsCEnt, intoAmEriCA onlinE whEn thE two mErgE As ExpECtED、thE sEnsE is thAt gAtEs got A vEry gooD DEAl. thE sitE is A riCh sourCE oF sCholArship But hArDly A riCh sourCE oF rEvEnuE.
As rECEntly As thE lAtE 1980s gAtEs, who turns 50 this wEEk, wAs An oBsCurE proFEssor, pEnning Books on litErAry thEory only A grADuAtE stuDEnt CoulD lovE. now hE CAn’t BE AvoiDED、hE hostED A sEriEs ABoutAFriCA on puBliC tElEvision, writEs oCCAsionAl ArtiClEs For thE nEw yorkEr, AnD EvEn ADvisEs thE gorE prEsiDEntiAl CAmpAign. hE Counts DirECtor stEvEn spiElBErg, miCrosoFt’sBill gAtEs AnD prEsiDEntClinton As FriEnDs. "thEy’rE not intimAtE FriEnDs," hE insists.
inDEED, gAtEs hAs EvolvED into A kinD oF ExpErt on EvErythingAFriCAn-AmEriCAn. "hE rEmAins thE go-to pErson on thE stAtE oFAFriCAn-AmEriCAn AFFAirs," sAiD pErry stEinBErg, hEAD oFAmEriCAn progrAmBurEAu, A lECturE AgEnCy. thE 30 or so spEEChEs gAtEs DElivErs EACh yEAr ArE AnothEr sourCE oF inComE For thE proFEssor.
with FAmE ComEs ControvErsy. sEvErAl othEr BlACk intEllECtuAls hAvE tAkEn him to tAsk For not BEing ConFrontAtionAl Enough. gAtEs hAs hEArD it BEForE. ’"mECritiCs oh, whAt A shoCk."But hE ConsiDErs himsElF morE A DEsCEnDEnt oF historiAn AnD EDuCAtor w.E、B、DuBois thAn oF mAlColm x. his ultimAtE goAl is to BuilD thE FiElD oFAFro-AmEriCAn stuDiEs. "FiFty yEArs From now i wAnt thErE to BE At lEAst 10 grEAt CEntErs oFAFro-AmEriCAn stuDiEs," hE sAys.
iF working As A ConsultAnt on spiElBErg’s historiCAl FilmAmistAD or givingA1 gorE ADviCE hElps, so BE it.
From gAtEs’s mEntion oF w.E、B、DuBois AnD mAlColm x wE CAn inFEr thAt ______.A．gAtEs is rEluCtAnt to tAkE thE lAttEr As his AnCEstor
B．gAtEs rEgArDs thE FormEr As morE suCCEssFul thAn thE lAttEr
C、gAtEs rEmAins A FollowEr oF thE FormEr instEAD oF thE lAttEr
D．gAtEs ClAims to hAvE A similAr CArEEr to thAt oF thE FormEr