Scholar, historian, black culture enthusiast, author of The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America and recently appointed director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York; Dr. Khalil Muhammad exemplifies the pure essence of Black History.

theGrio's Wanjira Banfield sat down with Dr. Muhammad to get an uncensored account of his love affair with black culture, his unwavering desire for a conscientious America and his commitment to the global advancement and experience of African-Americans.

theGrio: What led you to this journey to becoming a leader of black history preservation and eventually the director of the Schomburg Center?

Dr. Muhammad: I wanted to know black history for my own personal growth. When I was in college, there was a lot of controversy surrounding African-Americans, as well as debate about whether black students were qualified to be in well known prestigious universities such as my alma mater; the University of Pennsylvania. I didn't personally feel equipped to understand those arguments. This began with me deciding that I needed to get more familiar with African-American history. I needed to learn my history, my culture.

The more I learned, the more I wanted to know and the more committed I became to producing new knowledge where it didn't already exist....