[tacticalturtle]

> What’s Howard University and what makes it reputable enough to mention here, presumably as some sort of appeal to authority?

It’s arguably the most well known and prestigious of the historically black college and universities in the US:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historically_black_colleges_an...

It’s a pretty recognized name in the US. Certainly enough to qualify a professor as an authority - as much as any university association can.