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The Black Experience in America
featuring Jon Fortt '98

The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics and the Office of Alumni Engagement has partnered with Jon Fortt ‘98 to make an independent course he produced and offers online via Fortt Media. The Black Experience in America is now freely available to all DePauw alumni, which mirrors the availability for our faculty, staff, and students.

Jon Fortt was inspired to create the course after the murder of George Floyd as a way to prepare his two young sons for life in America.

In Jon's own words, this course is his version of the "The Talk" that many black fathers have with their children about life in America. He turned that into a series of lessons that he produced through Fortt Media.

The course has three video modules that take about 45 minutes each to work through. You’ll be able to sign-up and the courses will save your progress. You’ll be able to go through the modules in tiny increments. You won’t need to do it all in the same 45 minutes.

Want to invite a friend to take the course with you, but they're not alumni of DePauw? They may enroll in the paid version of the course here.

About JON FORTT '98

Jon Fortt graduated from DePauw University in 1998. He is co-anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk Alley” (M-F, 11 AM-12 PM ET). He joined CNBC as a technology correspondent in July 2010, working from CNBC’s Silicon Valley bureau where he covered the companies, start-ups, and trends that are driving innovation in the industry.

A Message from Jon Fortt About the Course

This is about empowerment through education. After the tragic killing of George Floyd in 2020, I decided to use my journalistic background and pull together knowledge to prepare my young sons for life in America.

We’ve heard about “The Talk” that many Black fathers have with our children; this became “The Course.” In creating The Course, I pulled from sources as diverse as Shakespeare and NWA, Miles Morales, and Toni Morrison. As I taught the 18 classes over Zoom to my sons and nine other Black kids during the summer of COVID-19, I explored the country’s history and my own and reconsidered iconic figures and moments I thought I understood. When we finished, the powerful feedback I got from the kids and parents convinced me that we hadn’t just finished something — we had started something. Now I want to continue it, and share that experience with you.

I wrote The Course for Black kids, and for the parents, teachers, and mentors who want to equip them for the future. That said, it’s for everyone who wants to explore the Black experience in America.

I’m a journalist and lifelong learner. The son of an art teacher and the husband of a reading specialist, I enjoy taking complicated subjects and making them understandable and relevant. Today I lead technology coverage at CNBC, where I’ve recently spearheaded coverage of race and opportunity in America, both on-air and in our events.