What's New in the Oxford African American Studies Center
What's New: January 2010
For the first update of 2010, the editors of the Oxford African American Studies Center have added new primary documents with accompanying commentary, highlighting African American women's history. These remarkable documents include the poem “To Mæcenas” by Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman to publish a book in the United States, and the text of “Strange Fruit” by Abe Meeropol, the poem made famous as a song by Billie Holiday. These materials cover a wide span of dates – from the early colonial era of the 1650s to 1998 – and provide a dynamic portrait of the range of historical experiences of African American women.
This update also includes 50 new online-only biographies from the African American National Biography project. These brand new entries are only available through the Oxford African American Studies Center.
Though typically associated more closely with civil rights efforts in the South, not long before his death Martin Luther King spent a year spreading his message of non-violent but direct action to Chicago's African American community. The latest Focus On feature will examine the work of Martin Luther King in the city of Chicago, known as the “Chicago Freedom Movement.”
Sign up to automatically receive information about site updates!
Focus On
In addition to our ongoing editorial update program, the Oxford African American Studies Center's editors commission and publish bi-monthly a publicly-available Focus On feature, designed to provide insights into topics of current and historical relevance.
Past Focus On features have included Jazz Greats, the March on Washington, Kwanzaa, Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Art and Artists, Women and Literature, Hip Hop's Early Influences, and Blacks in Politics. Features can include a specially-commissioned essay by a renowned scholar, as well as photo essays illustrating the events and topics covered. Focus On features and their related articles are free to the public for two months, and the featured essays and photo essays remain publicly available on the site.
Focus On Email Alert
Enter your email address below to sign up for the Focus On email alert.