Brent Staples facts for kids

Brent Staples (born in 1951) is an American writer. He is part of the editorial board at The New York Times newspaper. There, he writes mostly about education, criminal justice, and economics.

He has written several books, including An American Love Story and Parallel Time: Growing up In Black and White. His writing often covers important topics like race, society, and the school system in America.

His book Parallel Time was a finalist for a big award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. It also won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. In 2019, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing, which is a very important award for journalists. He is also a member of the Society of American Historians.

Early Life and School

Staples was born in 1951 in Chester, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of nine children. His parents moved to Chester from rural Virginia. This was part of a big movement of Black families from the Southern U.S. to Northern cities.

His father worked as a truck driver, and his mother stayed home to care for the family. Staples' family moved many times because they often struggled to pay rent. When he was in eighth grade, they had moved seven times.

His family did not have money for college tuition. His grades were average, and he hadn't taken many advanced classes in high school. Everyone expected him to start working right after high school, probably at a shipyard in Chester.

However, an African American professor at Widener University encouraged him to attend. This was through a program called Project Prepare. Staples graduated from Widener University with a bachelor's degree in 1973.

He then received special scholarships for his studies. He earned a master's degree in psychology in 1976. Later, he got his Ph.D. (a higher degree) in psychology in 1982 from the University of Chicago.

Career as a Writer

From 1977 to 1981, Staples taught psychology at Widener University and other schools in Chicago. But he soon decided to try a different career: journalism.

In 1983, he got a job as a science writer for the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. Then, in 1985, Staples joined The New York Times. He started as an editor for the Book Review section. Later, he became an assistant editor for the metropolitan news.

His essay, "Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space", was published in Ms. Magazine in 1986. This essay was very important and became required reading in many college classes. It explored how Black men are often seen in public spaces. In 1990, he became a member of the newspaper's editorial board. This means he helps decide what opinions the newspaper will publish.

In 1994, his memoir, Parallel Time, was recognized for its excellence. It was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. It also won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.

In an interview in 1994, Staples shared his thoughts. He said that being Black adds to his life experiences, but it doesn't completely define him. He explained that he writes about common ideas like family, leaving home, and finding your own identity. These are themes that everyone can understand.

Staples works to correct the idea that the "Black experience" in America is only about poverty, violence, or crime. He believes that Black people's lives are too different and varied to be put into one simple category.

In 2000, Staples received an honorary doctorate degree from Mount Saint Mary College. He has also been a visiting expert at famous universities like the University of Chicago and Yale University.

In 2019, Staples won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. The committee that gives out the award praised his writings. They said his editorials clearly showed the history of racism in the United States.