Leslie Brown (historian) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
g Leslie Brown
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Born | 1954 New York City, new York, U.S.
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Died | 2016 (aged 61–62) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Duke University Tuffs University |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | Duke University Skidmore College Washington University in St. Louis Williams College faculty |
Leslie Brown (born 1954, died 2016) was an American historian. She studied and taught about the history of African Americans.
Contents
The Life of Leslie Brown
Leslie Brown was born in New York City. She grew up in Albany, New York. She went to Tufts University and studied sociology. Later, she earned her master's and Ph.D. degrees in history from Duke University.
Before becoming a historian, Leslie Brown had many different jobs. She worked as a bartender and managed stores. She also drove trucks. She even worked at Skidmore College helping students get into college.
Documenting History
From 1990 to 1995, while studying at Duke, she helped with a big project. It was called "Behind the Veil: Documenting African American Life in the Jim Crow South." This project collected stories from African Americans.
The "Jim Crow South" was a time when laws kept Black and white people separate. These laws were unfair and caused a lot of hardship. Leslie Brown helped gather over 1,200 interviews for this project.
Her Work as a Historian
Leslie Brown's teaching and research focused on African American communities. She especially studied the lives of women and workers after the American Civil War.
Her first book was called Upbuilding Black Durham. It won an important award called the Frederick Jackson Turner Award in 2009.
In 2010, she wrote another book with Anne M. Valk. It was titled Living with Jim Crow: African American Women and Memories of the Segregated South. This book used the interviews from the "Behind the Veil" project. It won the annual book prize from the Oral History Association in 2011.
She also wrote many articles. Before she passed away, she was working on a book about African-American women and migration. She was also putting together writings and speeches by Shirley Chisholm.
Teaching and Mentoring
Leslie Brown was a dedicated teacher. She helped many students, especially those who were LGBTQ+ or students of color. She always supported them.
She taught at several universities. These included Duke University, Skidmore College, and Washington University in St. Louis. From 2008 until her death in 2016, she taught at Williams College.
Leslie Brown passed away in Boston at the age of 61.
Awards and Recognition
- 2009 Frederick Jackson Turner Award
- 2011 Oral History Association Book Prize