Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
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| Alma mater | Northeastern Illinois University (BA) Northwestern University (MA, PhD) |
| Occupation | Professor |
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Notable work
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From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation (2016) |
| Awards | MacArthur Fellow |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Princeton University |
| Thesis | Race for Profit: The Political Economy of Black Urban Housing in the 1970's (2013) |
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor is an American professor, writer, and activist. She teaches African American Studies at Princeton University. She wrote the important book From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation in 2016. This book won a special award called the Cultural Freedom Award. Since 2023, she has also helped publish an online magazine called Hammer & Hope.
Learning and Degrees
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor started her college journey while helping people who rent homes. She took night classes at Northeastern Illinois University. She moved to New York City for a bit. Later, she returned to Chicago, Illinois to finish her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts, in 2007.
She then went to Northwestern University. There, she earned a Master of Arts degree in African American Studies in 2011. In 2013, she completed her highest degree, a PhD, also in African-American Studies, from Northwestern. Her big research project for her PhD was about Black housing in the 1970s.
Her Work as a Professor
From 2013 to 2014, Dr. Taylor worked at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. She was a special researcher in African American Studies. After that, she became a professor at Princeton University.
Dr. Taylor often shares her ideas by writing articles for major newspapers and magazines. These include The Guardian, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. She has also been a guest on popular news shows like Democracy Now! and NPR's All Things Considered.
Her book, Race for Profit: Black Housing and the Urban Crisis in the 1970s, came out in 2019. This book was recognized as a semi-finalist for the National Book Award. It was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2020. In 2021, she received a special award called a Guggenheim Fellowship. On September 28, 2021, she was also named a MacArthur Fellow, which is a very high honor.
As of 2022, she is a professor of African-American studies at Northwestern University. This is the same university where she earned her advanced degrees.
Her Activism and Public Speaking
Dr. Taylor is also known for her activism. On January 20, 2017, she spoke at an event called the Anti-Inauguration. This event happened on the same day as the presidential inauguration. Other well-known speakers were also there.
In 2017, she helped organize a "women's strike." This led to the "Day Without a Woman" on March 8, 2017. She also wrote articles supporting the 2017 Women's March.
On May 20, 2017, Dr. Taylor gave a speech at Hampshire College. In her speech, she shared her strong opinions about the president at the time. After parts of her speech were shown on TV, she received many angry messages. Some of these messages were threats. Because of this, she had to cancel some of her talks. The president of Hampshire College supported her speech, saying it fit the college's goals.
In March 2022, Dr. Taylor joined 150 other feminists from around the world. They signed a statement called Feminist Resistance Against War: A Manifesto. This showed their support for Russian feminists who were protesting a war.
Books by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
Race for Profit: The Political Economy of Black Urban Housing in the 1970s
This book came from Dr. Taylor's research for her PhD in 2013. It looks at what the government did after city protests in the 1960s. The government wanted to provide affordable housing for African Americans. Dr. Taylor studied if private companies could help solve the housing problems. She also argued that public and private groups often had different goals, which caused problems.
The Anti-Inauguration: Building Resistance in the Trump Era
This book was put together by Dr. Taylor and other writers. It includes speeches from the 2017 Anti-Inauguration event. The speeches discuss the Trump presidency and its policies. The book suggests ways to resist the presidency by having different movements work together. Haymarket Books published it in 2016.
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation
Published in 2016, this book won the Cultural Freedom Award. It explores the political side of the BlackLivesMatter movement. Dr. Taylor looks at the history of how race and policing are connected. She also examines how the movement is different from older Black political groups. The book asks if the movement can help with more than just police brutality.
How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective
This book features writings from the founders of the Combahee River Collective. This was a group of Black feminists from the 1960s and 70s. Dr. Taylor edited these writings. She also wrote an introduction about how the Combahee River Collective still influences black feminism today. The book includes the original Combahee River Collective Statement.
Fifty Years Since MLK
This book was written by Dr. Taylor and other authors. It came out in 2018. It talks about Martin Luther King Jr.'s activism. It also discusses how his work still affects activism today. The authors look at Dr. King's efforts before he passed away. They consider how history shapes current movements for change.
Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Home Ownership
This book, published in 2019, explores why fewer African Americans own homes. It looks at the reasons behind this trend. The book was considered for the 2019 National Book Award.
Groups She Belongs To
- Urban History Association
- American Historical Association
- American Sociological Association
See also
