Frederick, TT-born President of Howard University

TT-born President of Howard University, Wayne A.I. Frederick said it is important for citizens to participate in political conversations, as it affects everyone.

He said the freedom to talk about concerns and preferences should be facilitated in spite of differences in opinion.

He spoke with Newsday at a symposium on pancreatic cancer treatment in TT, organised by the John E Sabga Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer held at the Hyatt, Port of Spain, on November 1.

"My journey was a remarkable one in the sense that I went to Washington DC where I don't have any family. I found a family at Howard University, which has a tradition of bringing people from the Caribbean, which included Dr Eric Williams who was a political science professor there. I continued in that tradition, and it was one of the most supportive environments."

He said being the president of the university now is probably the most humbling position he could have, and acts as a constant reminder that the opportunity is one that puts him in a great place to give back.

He said he does this in a number of ways, which includes working to maintain the same space of freedom that allowed him to move from the Caribbean to the US, to become president of one of the most prestigious universities.

"The political environment in the US is very charged. Howard University is known for activism and has a lot of students and faculty members who are concerned about the direction of the country."

In response to this, Frederick said his role as the president is to remove all barriers so everyone on the campus may be able to freely express their activism. "We are at a time in the history of the US where we have to encourage more political discourse, on a university campus, in particular, it must be one of the binding principles."

Tuesday marked a number of interesting signs of further political change in the US with New York electing the first female Attorney General of African descent, more women voters and candidates in the history of the US, and Jared Polis won Colorado Governor, becoming the first openly gay man to win a state election.

"Regardless of the nature of the speech, it has to be free and open, and we have to encourage people to participate in the dialogue."