[2] His widowed mother moved the family from Mississippi, where she was a teacher, to find a better place in the North for her children to grow up.
Raboteau's stepfather taught the boy Latin and Greek starting at the age of five years, and helped him to focus on church and education as he grew up.
[5] Princeton University hired Raboteau in 1982, eventually appointing him Henry W. Putnam Professor of Religion in 1992.
[7] During his professorship, he trained as graduate students Michael Eric Dyson, Eddie Glaude, and Judith Weisenfeld.
[11][12] In the late 20th century, Raboteau converted to Eastern Orthodoxy at a time of personal crisis and divorce from his first wife.
[13] As of 2002, he served as lay coordinator of Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow Orthodox Mission in Rocky Hill, New Jersey.