Fredrick C. Harris is Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University. He is the triple award winner of the book Something Within: Religion in African-American Political Activism and the co-author of Countervailing Forces in African-American Civic Activism, 1973-1994, which received the 2006 W.E.B. DuBois Award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists and the 2007 Ralph Bunche Award from the American Political Science Association. He has been a visiting scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. and is a 2012 recipient of the Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award at Columbia University.

2013 Hurston-Wright Legacy Award (non-fiction category)

"Harris is a vivid storyteller, bringing to life the men and women responsible for the rise of black politics in the 20th century. He doesn't shy away from juicy foibles of character, although his focus is on ideological conflict . . . This is an enlightening, readable, important, and deeply worrying book." --Publishers Weekly

"The Price of the Ticket is a bold intervention in contemporary American politics. Harris provides evidence for our intuitions: that, even with an African American president (perhaps because of that fact) black folk languish in the shadows of 21st century America. With his use of history and his courage to look the facts squarely in the face, Harris has offered us a wake-up call. Of course, the question is will we listen and act." -- Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African American Studies, Princeton University

"With its expert attention to the intersections of black politics and history, and the workings of American democracy, The Price of the Ticket will quickly become the gold standard for studies of the Obama presidency through the lens of race. Fredrick Harris has produced the book for those looking for a sober, intelligent, and informed, analysis of the racial implications of the current regime." -- Richard Iton, Professor of African American Studies, Northwestern University and author of In Search of the Black Fantastic

"The Price of the Ticket is an insightful, probing look at the Obama Presidency and Race. Harris deftly shows that while the election of the first Black President was a watershed moment for America, that same moment marked the end of political coalitions and grass roots activism within the African American community. The price of the ticket has been a hefty one indeed, and Fred Harris deftly shows just how much the ticket President Obama cashed has cost Black America." -- Anthea Butler, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Graduate Chair of Religion, The University of Pennsylvania