Journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates addressed Indiana University students and the Bloomington community on Friday.
Coates' book "Between the World and Me" is a finalist for the National Book Award.
Coates took time to discuss his experiences with racism as an African-American man and how the death of a friend at the hands of the police brought him to write his book. He says white supremacy and racism are products of policy and beyond that, United States history.
"'Between the World and Me' is an attempt to situate an individual within that long span," he says. "But it's a book that begins in 1619 and proceeds up until today."
Coates was also on campus to meet privately with students attending the Public Policy and International Affairs Program conference held at IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs.