Harris-Perry to host MSNBC news program

Tulane political science professor and national political analyst Melissa Harris-Perry will begin hosting her own weekend program on MSNBC, set to debut on Feb. 18. She will continue teaching at Tulane and contributing her monthly column to The Nation.

Harris-Perry, whose new program is set to air on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. until noon ET, is a long-standing political analyst and contributor to MSNBC. She is a frequent guest of “PoliticsNation” with the Rev. Al Sharpton, and also serves as occasional host of “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “The Last Word.”

“Melissa's thoughtful analysis has been an incredible addition to our prime time programs, and I'm thrilled to have her join our expanded weekend lineup,” said Phil Griffin, MSNBC president.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity,” said Harris-Perry. “All I've ever wanted to be is a teacher. Phil Griffin and MSNBC are giving me the chance to have a much bigger classroom. I'm particularly excited to join the growing weekend lineup where we have a chance to take a longer and broader view of the week's political news.”

In addition to her role at MSNBC, Melissa Harris-Perry writes a monthly column, titled “Sister Citizen,” for The Nation magazine.

At Tulane this semester, Harris-Perry is teaching two courses — America's First Ladies and Introduction to African American Politics. She also is the founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South, housed at the university's Newcomb College Institute.

A celebrated author, Harris-Perry recently published her second book, Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes and Black Women in America (Yale 2011), which examines the effects of persistent harmful stereotypes on black women's politics.