He is an African-American resident of Ann Arbor. He has taught a wide range of classes at the University of Michigan about race relations in the U.S. and about the civil rights movement. It is his experience that having a racially diverse student body is essential to the quality of the educational experience in courses that address race and ethnicity. Without the perspective of people of color in the classroom he believes that his students will be unable to truly grasp the ongoing realities of racial inequality and stigma in American society. Because of the University of Michigan's changes to its admissions policies in response to Proposal 2, he would seriously consider leaving the University of Michigan if offered a teaching position at a more diverse university.