Juicy interview Johari Jabir #6

The funny thing about this interview was that I had contacted this professor the Friday before spring break and I was kinda worried that he would not be available for the interview. Fortunately for me he was at University hall and he told me to come in at 1:30 Monday, so I went home thinking that's this person better not send me off. I went to his office today and sure enough he was there at 1:30 like he said that he would be. the professor name is Johari Jabir Ph.D and he is an Assistant Professor at UIC. The first question I asked him was why did he choose to become a professor, and his answer was that though his educational career he was motivated by good teachers and that these good teachers was his reason for becoming a teacher. I soon found out that this professor has a degree in Theology and that his area of interest is African-American religion and African cultures. When he told me this I automatically thought that this guy was a minister of some sort so I told him that it seemed like he is a very religious person and he asked me why do I think that, and I said because you have a degree in theology, he said that he does not consider himself a very religious person. Wow!. Anyway I asked him what was it that he like and dislike about teaching at UIC. His answer was that he likes working with the students but dislikes the faculty Hierarchy system at the University. For me this was the best Interview because we talked about other things as well, such as why I think that only black people should write about African history, come to find out I was being stereotypical, he also likes old gospel music

Johari Jabir PhD
African American Studies(MC069)
601 South Morgan Street,1203 UH
chicago Illinois 60607-7112
Phone# (312) 996-2962