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February 2, 2012

Nadine Cohodas: The Power of Nina Simone’s Musical Versatility

But for me, a medley from her July 4, 1963, appearance stands out as the quintessential Nina Simone moment. In just over six minutes, she displayed the range of her musical inspirations and a gift for improvisation that can come only from a deep appreciation of each genre and the skill—both vocal and at the keyboard—to carry it off. Continue Reading Nadine Cohodas: The Power of Nina Simone’s Musical Versatility

Categories African American History/African American Studies/Author blog entry/Biography / Autobiography/Guest Bloggers/History/Music
February 1, 2012

Excerpt: “American Congo” by Nan Elizabeth Woodruff

In this excerpt from ‘American Congo: The African American Freedom Struggle in the Delta,’ Nan Elizabeth Woodruff examines what led up to the massacre of black sharecroppers in 1919 Phillips County, Arkansas, and how the official narrative of events was fabricated and disseminated by white leaders. Continue Reading Excerpt: “American Congo” by Nan Elizabeth Woodruff

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/American Studies/Civil Rights/History/Southern Studies
January 19, 2012

Book excerpt: Whiting Up, by Marvin McAllister

In this excerpt from Whiting Up: Whiteface Minstrels & Stage Europeans in African American Performance, McAllister describes some 19th-century black fashionistas in New York and Charleston. Continue Reading Book excerpt: Whiting Up, by Marvin McAllister

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/American Studies/Excerpts/History/Theatre & Performing Arts
January 10, 2012

DocSouth Books are now available!

Comprising slave narratives, a collection of slave songs, and a call-to-arms pamphlet by a free black man, the DocSouth Books program makes accessible in book (and ebook) form several compelling and enlightening texts from the nineteenth century. Continue Reading DocSouth Books are now available!

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Documentary Studies/History/Literature/UNC Press News
January 6, 2012

Excerpt: John Brown Still Lives!, by R. Blakeslee Gilpin

Throughout the early decades of the twentieth century, outwardly progressive philanthropists like Villard frustrated and were frustrated by the opinions and personalities of outspoken blacks like Du Bois. Observed through the prism of John Brown, their story reveals the strategies and conflicts involved in the greater project for racial equality, the longest and most significant struggle in American history. Continue Reading Excerpt: John Brown Still Lives!, by R. Blakeslee Gilpin

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Excerpts/History/Southern Studies
January 3, 2012

Excerpt: In the Cause of Freedom, by Minkah Makalani

Early-twentieth-century black radicals were witness to a world that they believed teetered between revolution and repression, self-determination and ever-expanding empires. In the wake of a destructive world war that itself proved the catalyst for the movement of black laborers into cities and countries around the world, the growing crisis over the European colonial presence around the globe, and the rise of socialist and communist alternatives to Western democracy, black radicals sought alternative forms of political activism and began to forge links to other African diasporic radicals. Continue Reading Excerpt: In the Cause of Freedom, by Minkah Makalani

Categories African American History/African American Studies/Civil Rights/Cultural Studies/Global Studies/Political Science
December 27, 2011

Excerpt: Southscapes: Thadious Davis on the work of Ernest Gaines

His writing recovers and preserves a culture and a place that is an exterior, realistic landscape but is also a representation of his own subjectively shaped interior life that is dependent on the space of the plantation as it existed in his youth. Continue Reading Excerpt: Southscapes: Thadious Davis on the work of Ernest Gaines

Categories African American Studies/Excerpts/Literature/Southern Studies
December 16, 2011

Book Excerpt: My Southern Home, by William Wells Brown

Slave children, with almost an alabaster complexion, straight hair, and blue eyes, whose mothers were jet black, or brown, were often a great source of annoyance in the Southern household, and especially to the mistress of the mansion. Continue Reading Book Excerpt: My Southern Home, by William Wells Brown

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Southern Studies
December 8, 2011

Amrita Chakrabarti Myers: Forging Freedom – An Excerpt

In this excerpt from ‘Forging Freedom: Black Women and the Pursuit of Liberty in Antebellum Charleston,’ by Amrita Chakrabarti Myers, we meet a family of free black women who possessed an unusual amount of wealth and autonomy. Continue Reading Amrita Chakrabarti Myers: Forging Freedom – An Excerpt

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Excerpts/Southern Studies/Women's Studies
December 6, 2011

Jason Morgan Ward: The Short Distance from Civil War to Civil Rights

This year marks two momentous and inseparable moments in the history of American race relations: the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides. That most commemorations of the former have neglected to mention the latter reveals a nagging reluctance to connect too directly the Civil War and the modern civil rights movement. But for white southerners in the mid-20th century, the link between Civil War and civil rights was crystal clear. Continue Reading Jason Morgan Ward: The Short Distance from Civil War to Civil Rights

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Author blog entry/Civil Rights/Civil War/Guest Bloggers/History/Southern Studies
November 17, 2011

“Was Freedom Enough?” Gregory Downs at NY Times Disunion Blog

An excerpt from Gregory Downs’s blog at the NY Times Disunion Series concerning the livelihood of newly emancipated slaves. Continue Reading “Was Freedom Enough?” Gregory Downs at NY Times Disunion Blog

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Civil War/Southern Studies/UNC Press Authors
November 11, 2011

Watch: Demo of Enhanced Ebook of Give My Poor Heart Ease, by William Ferris

See the features of the enhanced ebook for Give My Poor Heart Ease: Voices of the Mississippi Blues, by William Ferris. Features include embedded video & audio. Continue Reading Watch: Demo of Enhanced Ebook of Give My Poor Heart Ease, by William Ferris

Categories African American History/African American Studies/folklore/Music/Southern Studies
November 8, 2011

North Carolina’s eugenics history: Testimonies from victims (video)

Rock Center with Brian Williams airs a story about North Carolina’s history of state-ordered sterilizations, featuring audio recordings of social workers involved in the program that were uncovered in Johanna Schoen’s research on the subject in the 1990s. Continue Reading North Carolina’s eugenics history: Testimonies from victims (video)

Categories African American Studies/American History/Biology/Ethics/Health / Medicine/North Carolina/Public Policy/Science/Sociology/UNC Press Authors/Women's Studies
October 26, 2011

Montford Point Marines Receive Highest Congressional Honor

The black Marines who integrated the last all-white branch of the U.S. military receive Congressional honor. The book The Marines of Montford Point tells their stories. Continue Reading Montford Point Marines Receive Highest Congressional Honor

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Civil Rights/Current Events/History/Interviews/Military Studies/North Carolina/Podcasts
October 19, 2011

On the MLK Memorial–Celebrating “A Day That Would Not Be Denied”

Here are some beautiful images of the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, as well as a thoughtful meditation by UNC Press author Blair L. M. Kelley on the subject of King’s work and legacy. Continue Reading On the MLK Memorial–Celebrating “A Day That Would Not Be Denied”

Categories African American Studies/Blair L. M. Kelley/Civil Rights/UNC Press News
October 5, 2011

The Lost History of the Cherokee Freedmen Controversy

Today, over at the First Peoples blog, UNC Press author Celia Naylor writes about the history and current events surrounding the Cherokee freedmen controversy. In particular, she draws our attention to the historical import of the Dawes Commission, especially as regards sovereignty, race, and citizenship. Continue Reading The Lost History of the Cherokee Freedmen Controversy

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Civil Rights/History/Native Amer./Indigenous Studies/UNC Press Authors
September 20, 2011

Congratulations to Tiya Miles, 2011 MacArthur Fellow

We’re thrilled to offer our heartiest congratulations to historian Tiya Miles for being awarded a 2011 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (aka the “Genius Grant”). Miles is the author of “The House on Diamond Hill: A Cherokee Plantation Story”. From the announcement: “A scholar of range and promise, and increasingly an authoritative voice in reframing and reinterpreting the history of our diverse nation, Miles is adding texture and depth to the mosaic that was our shared past and that is our heritage.” Continue Reading Congratulations to Tiya Miles, 2011 MacArthur Fellow

Categories African American History/African American Studies/Awards/History/Native Amer./Indigenous Studies/UNC Press Authors
September 6, 2011

Jill Ogline Titus: Back-to-School Reflections

Jill Ogline Titus reflects on how Prince Edward Co., VA, responded to Brown vs. BoE by closing all public schools for 5 years to avoid integrating them. Continue Reading Jill Ogline Titus: Back-to-School Reflections

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Author blog entry/Civil Rights/Education/Guest Bloggers/Politics/UNC Press Authors