Gates, who underwent hip surgery on Monday, was not available for comment, according to his assistant.
Rivers says he hopes that the Du Bois Institute and the Department of Afro-American Studies will play a greater role in the community in years to come.
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Still, he says, the after-school program will remain important because of its role in bridging the gap between intellectuals and activists.
"Looking back over the last 25 years, this is the most exciting program to be instituted in the poor black community at Harvard," Rivers says.