1. Melissa Harris-Perry was born in Seattle and grew up in Chesterfield County, Virginia, one of the counties adjoining the independent city of Richmond, Virginia, where she attended Thomas Dale High School.
15 Facts About Melissa Harris-Perry
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Melissa Harris-Perry's father was the first dean of African-American Affairs at the University of Virginia.
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Melissa Harris-Perry worked for non-profit organizations that provided services such as day-care centers, health care for people in rural communities, and access to reproductive care for poor women.
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Melissa Harris-Perry graduated from Wake Forest University with a bachelor's degree in English and earned a PhD in political science from Duke University.
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Melissa Harris-Perry received an honorary doctorate from Meadville Lombard Theological School, and is studying toward a Master of Divinity in theology at Union Theological Seminary of Columbia University.
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Melissa Harris-Perry joined the political science faculty of the University of Chicago in 1999 and taught there for seven years, until 2006, when she accepted a tenured appointment at Princeton University as an Associate Professor of Political Science and African-American Studies.
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Melissa Harris-Perry left Princeton in 2011 after being denied a full professorship for Tulane University, where she was Founding Director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project, a center for the study of race, gender, and politics in the South.
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On July 1,2014, Melissa Harris-Perry returned to Wake Forest as the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair Professor of Politics and International Affairs.
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Melissa Harris-Perry is a regular columnist for the magazine The Nation, the co-host of the magazine's podcast System Check with Dorian Warren, and the author of two books.
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In early 2013, Melissa Harris-Perry was criticized by some political commentators for statements she made on her program related to collective parenting.
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On February 28,2016, the network confirmed that Melissa Harris-Perry was leaving the network.
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On July 23,2021, Melissa Harris-Perry was named as interim host of The Takeaway following the departure of the show's previous host, Tanzina Vega.
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Melissa Harris-Perry was later announced as the permanent host and managing editor on October 18,2021.
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Melissa Harris-Perry is the CEO of the Winston-Salem Urban League.
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Melissa Harris-Perry said she and her husband paid $21,721 on April 15,2015, and have a payment plan with the IRS.