African American Traditions in California

We will focus on the benefits of establishing a UC network capable of developing the field of Black California Studies. The participants will discuss their projects and projects at their campuses. We will also discuss funding, organization, and leadership.

PROGRAM

10:00 am | Introduction
10:30 am – 11:30 am | Workshop One

Organizing a UCSB-based System-wide Network to Support Research on Black California

Questions for discussion:

• How should we define Black California Studies?
• What is significant about the Black experience in the state?
• What are the field’s key themes? Examples: cultural renaissances, work, family, impoverishment, human rights, social movements, social philosophies, settlement patterns Black and Latino Relations, Louisiana and Texas traditions, the African Diaspora in California, etc.
• Which research areas should be prioritized?
• Which individuals, organizations, and institutions will support the building of these research networks?

11:45 am – 12:45 pm | Workshop Two

Building Archives for Black California Materials 

We will focus on  how to create and build a Black California digital archive within the Journal of California Studies and Calisphere initiatives. We will also discuss several new existing and new projects: cataloguing library resources; building  bibliographies; charting and creating research initiatives; organizing oral histories; expanding newspaper and journal  collections, expanding media resources; community research; and building links with K-12 districts, the community college system, and the California State system.

Questions for discussion:

• What is the current state of archival resources?
• Which new areas should be pursued?
• Which individuals, organizations, and institutions will support the building of these archival resources?

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Lunch  (at the UCen)

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm| Workshop Three

Organizing African-American Public Policy Research

After a presentation by Associate Professor John Park and Yen Ling Shek of the Asian Pacific Public Policy Institute, we will discuss how the Black California Studies initiative can support and coordinate public policy research on, and in, California’s African American communities.

Questions for discussion:

• What are the most pressing social conditions facing African Americans in California?
• What are the most pressing public policy challenges facing African Americans in California?
• How should a network of scholars address these issues?
• Which individuals, organizations, and institutions will support the building of this policy network?

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm | Closing Discussion

Hosts

Gaye Johnson, Assistant  Professor, Department of Black Studies, UC Santa Barbara

Gaye Theresa Johnson holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Johnson’s areas of expertise are twentieth century U.S. history; race and racism; social movements and identities, and cultural history with an emphasis on music. Johnson’s publications include articles and book reviews in Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies; the Comparative American Studies Journal; the Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas, the National Women’s Studies Association Journal, and two edited collections on race and popular culture. In 2006, her essay, “‘Sobre Las Olas’: A Mexican Genesis in Borderlands Jazz” won “Best Paper in Comparative Ethnic Studies” from the American Studies Association. Professor Johnson is completing a manuscript entitled The Future Has a Past: Politics, Music and Memory in Afro-Chicano Los Angeles. She will be at Stanford University in the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity for the 2008-2009 academic year. Professor Johnson is a native of Santa Barbara.

Clyde Woods, Assistant Professor, Department of Black Studies, UC Santa Barbara

Professor Woods earned his PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA and has taught at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Maryland His research focuses on the regional organization of poverty, power, race, and culture in the United States. His first book, Development Arrested examined these relationships in the rural Mississippi Delta and his upcoming study will address the role these social forces played in the construction of Black Los Angeles, from 1781 to the present. Another research area focuses on the philosophical and analytic contributions of Blues, Jazz, and Hip Hop. As part of this work, he recently co-edited Black Geographies and the Politics of Place with Katherine McKittrick. Finally, Professor Woods has initiated two long-term-research projects based in the Department. The first examines and supports the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. The second project is designed to create a network of community members and scholars who are both studying Black Los Angeles and developing innovative policy solutions.

Participants

Susan D. Anderson, Managing Director, LA As Subject, University of Southern California

Chair of the May 4, 2009 conference “100 Years Since Allensworth: Is California Living Up to the Legacy, Parks, work, play and civic engagement – African American Heritage” in partnership with the California State Parks Foundation. She is curator of “Allensworth:  100 Years of the California Dream,” a statewide, touring exhibition on the centennial of the all-black town, sponsored by the California African American Museum, the California Parks Department, the California Legislative Black Caucus and the California Community Empowerment Foundation. Her weekly blog, “The Reparations Chronicles,” received the 2009 “Best Blogger on Ethnic Issues” award from New America Media, and is one of the most-viewed pages at theloop21.com. She is a former Visiting Professor at Pitzer College in Claremont, and has contributed to the Los Angeles Times Sunday Opinion since 1999. She is the author of “A City Called Heaven: Black Enchantment and Despair in Los Angeles,” in The City: Los Angeles and Urban Theory at the End of the Twentieth Century, and “Rivers of Water in a Dry Place: Early Black Participation in California Politics,” in Racial and Ethnic Politics in California. A correspondent for the PBS Frontline special, “L.A. is Burning:  Five Reports from a Divided City,” Anderson has recently lectured on African American history, politics and culture at the Oakland Museum of California, the Autry National Center, the California Legislative Black Caucus, and the Scripps College Institute of Humanities, among other venues. Her book, Nostalgia for a Trumpet:  Poems of Memory and History was published in 2008. Ms Anderson is a third generation Californian.

Stephanie Batiste, Assistant Professor, Departments of Black Studies and English, UC Santa Barbara

Prof. Batiste holds an A.B. from Princeton University and a Ph.D. from George Washington University. She investigates relationships between representation, performance, identity, race, and power. She specializes in African American and 20th-century American literature and culture. Her book, Darkening Mirrors: Imperial Representation in Depression Era African American Performance, scheduled to be published in 2009 illuminates the complicated ways African Americans participated in American ideologies of cultural imperialism. Her performance piece, Stacks of Obits, addresses themes of family, love, loss, and home through a consideration of gun violence and street murder in Los Angeles. Batiste is currently the Vice President for Development and Outreach for the Women and Theater Program of the Association for Theater in Higher Education. Professor Batiste was born in Los Angeles.

Sylvia Curtis, Librarian, UC Santa Barbara, Collection manager for Departments of Black Studies and Dance

Ms. Curtis is an expert on Black collections, particularly those available online.

Douglas Daniels, Professor, Departments of Black Studies and History, UC Santa Barbara

His publications include: Pioneer Urbanites: A Social and Cultural History of Black San Francisco Lester Leaps In: The Life and Times of Lester “Pres” Young, (2002); and  One O’clock Jump: The Unforgettable History of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils, (2006). Other research interests include African popular music and the use of oral history and photography in the study of culture. Professor Daniels received the 2005 Keynote Speaker Award in appreciation of his support and contributions to the profession and to the San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society for his book, Pioneer Urbanites, on the occasion of the society’s 50th birthday celebration. Professor Daniels is also the recipient of a Fulbright Lecturing/Research Fellowship in Japan for Fall 2007.

Wendel Eckford, Ph.D., Director, Ralph Bunche Scholars College and the Ralph Bunche Distinguished Professor of U.S. & African American History , Los Angeles City College

Professor Eckford was recently elected by his colleagues to serve as Chair of the Department of Social Sciences. He is currently finishing his book, “The Golden Era of Black Los Angeles: Appropriation, Resistance and Accommodation in Community Building, 1900 – 1930.” He attended Prairie View A & M University of Texas where he earned a Bachelors of Architecture degree and worked as an architect and civil engineer for nearly 15 years. His work included private practice where he served as a lead restoration architect and manager in cultural patrimony and historic preservation at the local, national and international levels. He earned a masters degrees in historic preservation from the California State University at Dominguez Hills, Afro American Studies at the University of California at Los Angeles and masters degrees and a Ph.D. in history from the Claremont Graduate University. His areas of research interests include cultural geography of Los Angeles’ Black community, 19th & 20th Century African American Nationalism, Genocide & War Crimes, Third World Cultures. He was born on the Hopi Indian Reservation in Arizona and graduated from High School in Oxnard, California.

Gregory Everett, filmmaker and archivist, Los Angeles

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Gregory starred in numerous stage plays and directed his first film at the age of nine. While in the eleventh grade, he received his first formal instruction and training in cinema at the Barnsdall Junior Arts Academy for Filmmaking. He then received professional training in drama, film, and video at The Ebony Showcase Theatre, and Brock Peter’s Communications’ Bridge. After High school Gregory went directly to film school at Los Angeles City College. Gregory began D.J’ing house parties and one of the first D.J.’s on the west coast to recognize and spin rap music. Meanwhile, his college films were receiving noteworthy attention, such as “Best Animated Film” in the L.A.C.C. Film Festival. After graduating, he took on a few entry-level positions in the film industry. He launched a dance promotions company, named Ultra wave Promotions, which now features a line-up of D.J.’s, Rappers, and concert-grade equipment. At Kevin Biles Design Everett was picked up by one of the early pioneers on non-linear editing, Alan Kozlowski and became an assistant editor on the early rap movie “Krushgroove”. As the 1980’s came to an end, he opened two small recording studios: Studio Skid Row and Fat Rat Entertainment. During the L.A. rebellion; the civil unrest of 1992, he was a freelance writer and correspondent for Rap Pages and the Source Magazine. He also appeared in the documentary “Censorship In America” giving commentary on censorship of Black urban sentiments in Hip Hop music. From 1995 to 1998, Everett co-wrote and produced three films at UCLA that won the “Spotlight Award” (the college equivalent of the Academy Award). During this time he also served over two hundred days as Assistant Director on various music videos. Everett was also the second unit director for Dave’s debut feature, “Foolish”. In 1998, Everett was a producer on a documentary for Ruthless Records entitled “Eazy Duz It” about the late rapper Easy E. Everett is currently a music video director and documentary filmmaker. Urban Noir Films (feature and Short film projects), and Film Revolution 2027 (documentaries). Under Film Revolution with a partnership with the Southern California Research Library, Gregory is currently producing and directing various documentary series including, “Black Infant Mortality: Your Generation at Risk; “History Of the Hood” (about the evolution of L.A. street gangs); 41st & Central (the story of the Southern California chapter of the Black Panther Party); and the “History Of West Coast Hip-Hop” Gregory is currently collecting Hip Hop and Party Scene memorabilia from the 70’s through the 90’s to create a History of West Coast Hip Hop film, book, online museum and traveling exhibit.

Julie Grigsby, doctoral student, Department of Anthropology, University of Texas.

Grigsby is currently engaged with field work in Los Angeles that focuses on Black women’s health and health organizations.  Ms. Grigsby is a native of Riverside.

Allison Jefferson, doctoral student, Department of History, UCSB

Jefferson is currently a historian at a consulting firm in Los Angeles, where she works on historic preservation planning and interpretative projects. She will begin work to earn a PhD in History at the University of California, Santa Barbara in fall 2009. In her current work she draws on her regional history expertise to execute literature and on-site research to document and evaluate historic resource sites, and to write various types of technical and cultural resource reports, landmark nominations and interpretative material content. In 2007 Ms. Jefferson created the actual language engraved on the plaque: “The Ink Well”: A Place of Celebration and Pain, that graces a marker in the City of Santa Monica located along the bicycle and pedestrian path, Ocean Front Walk (at the end of Bay Street). The monument commemorates the Jim Crow era beach site used by African Americans as a gathering place and Nick Gabaldon, the first identified surfer of African American and Mexican descent. An article featuring her research on this Santa Monica site will appear in the Southern California Quarterly publication in Summer 2009. Ms. Jefferson earned a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation in 2007 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Pomona College in Claremont, California.

Chris McAuley, Associate Professor in the Department of Black Studies, UCSB

Professor McAuley received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Political Science. His areas of research are northern and southern African Politics, world systems theory, Black intellectual history, Caribbean and Latin American political economy and economic history of the Americas, W.E. B. Du Bois, and labor history. In 1990 he received the Ford Foundation and Center for African-American and African Studies (CAAS), University of Michigan Summer Research Fellowship in Ghana.

John Park, Associate Professor, Department of Asian American Studies, UCSB

Professor Park received a M.P.P. degree from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in Jurisprudence and Social Policy. His research focuses on immigration law and policy, race theory, political theory and public law.

Damien Schneider, UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSB

Schneider is a 2009 graduate of the Department of Anthropology, University of Texas. His dissertation examined the school to prison pipeline and its impact upon schools in Los Angeles County. Mr. Schneider is a native of Carson.

Yen Ling Shek, Chief of Staff,  UC Asian American /Pacific Islander Policy Multi-campus Research Program

A note on the Program: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are the fastest growing minority population today. Recently, the growing number of AAPI elected officials in the State Capitol has begun to reflect this population increase. Socioeconomic class and cultural diversity within the AAPI population pose significant dilemmas for policymakers. The faculty members of the University of California AAPI Policy Multi-Campus Research Program (UC AAPI Policy MRP) conduct applied research on policy issues related to AAPIs in California and are experts in providing knowledge about the complex nature of AAPI communities. The UC AAPI Policy MRP will connect the applied research and expertise of the UC AAPI Policy MRP to the members of the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Joint Legislative Caucus, the supporter of the Policy Initiative, which is a bi-partisan group of legislators representing and advocating for the interests of diverse AAPI communities throughout California. It also seeks to increase AAPI participation and representation in all levels of government.

Alva Stevenson, administrator and scholar, UCLA Center for Oral History Research

Ms Stevenson has assisted with the coordination several major oral history projects on Blacks in Los Angeles. In addition, her recent M.A. thesis at UCLA focused on Black and Latino relations.

Jeffrey Stewart, Professor and Chair, Department of Black Studies, UCSB

Professor Stewart holds a M.A./M.Phil. and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University and is the author of numerous books, essays, and articles on African American intellectual history. He comes to UCSB from George Mason University in Virginia, where he was Professor of History, Art History and African American Studies. He is a dynamic and innovative administrator with a successful track record as the former Director of the well-respected African American Studies program at George Mason. He also served as one of the founding faculty of the Graduate Department in Cultural Studies and was a member of the Arts Policy Committee. His leadership experience, ability to reach out to different parts of the university and the community, and interest in new information technologies will be valuable assets to the Department. With recent fellowships at the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and a Fulbright Lectureship in Rome, Professor Stewart also brings a distinctive perspective about international issues and the field of Black Studies on the larger world scene. He brings great distinction and visibility to the Department, as well as a unique set of interdisciplinary skills which combine history, American studies, art history, intellectual history, literature, philosophy, social thought, politics, race relations, gender and sexuality, and popular culture. Professor Stewart, a prominent and distinguished scholar of considerable versatility, is one of the most significant cultural critics working in the United States today, an intellectual historian of the highest order and a trenchant commentator on the Harlem Renaissance and on contemporary cultural politics and arts. A colleague describes him as “one of the leading interlocutors of the 20th-century African American experience.” Stewart also brings a distinguished background as a curator, having curated several exhibitions, such as To Color America: Portraits by Winold Reiss at the Smithsonian Institution in 1989 and the birthday centennial exhibition Paul Robeson: Artist and Citizen in 1998. Professor Stewart  is a native of Pasadena.

Ula Taylor, Associate Professor, Department of African American Studies, UC Berkeley

Professor Taylor earned her doctorate in American History from UC Santa Barbara. She is the co-author of Panther: The Illustrated History of the Black Panther Movement and the Story Behind the Film and the author of The Veiled Garvey: The Life and Times of Amy Jacques Garvey, published in 2001 by the University of North Carolina Press. She teaches courses on  the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s and African American Women’s History. Professor Taylor has taught aspects of economic, political and cultural African American history from Colonial times to the present at Chapman College, Antelope Valley Community College, and to inmates at Lompoc Penitentiary. Professor Taylor is a native of Altadena.

Danny Widener, Associate Professor, Department of History, UC San Diego

Danny Widener teaches African American history, cultural studies, and twentieth-century political radicalism. He began his educational career at the Echo Park-Silverlake Peoples’ Childcare Center. He studied at Berkeley and New York University. He has written on the politics of black culture in postwar Los Angeles, black-Latino and Afro-Asian issues, and the Korean War. His new work is Black Arts West: Culture and Struggle in black Los Angeles, 1942-1992 (Durham: Duke University Press, 2009). Prof. Widener is a native of  Venice.

Staff

Mahsheed  Ayoud, Business Officer, Center for Black Studies Research, UCSB

Laurica Brown, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Sociology, UCSB