In this interview, Beverly Daniel Tatum, President Emerita of Spelman College, shares her views of higher education. She notes the historical importance of historically black colleges and universities to our current leadership in all areas of society, their importance in rural areas or other places with limited educational options, and their need for resources to meet these needs. She reviews the progress made in the 20 years since the original publication of "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria" but recognizes that we are in a period of retrenchment. While hopeful of future progress, she reminds us of the necessity of the hard work on the local level to make that happen.