Tulane professor Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry will be the first African American woman to host a politically-based, 2-hour talk show on MSNBC.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity,” Harry-Perris replied when asked how she felt about the chance to host her own show. “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.”

Harris-Perry will continue to write her “Sister Citizen” column for The Nation magazine, to teach political science, and to promote her recently published second book, Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America, which examines the effects of persistent harmful stereotypes of black women in politics.

The Melissa Harris-Perry Show will premiere Feb. 4, 2012, from 10 AM to noon EST. Congratulations to another black woman making powerful moves to break color barriers.