Russell J. Rickford facts for kids

Russell John Rickford, born around 1975, is an American scholar and activist. He teaches history at Cornell University. He is known for writing the only detailed book about Betty Shabazz, who was the wife of Malcolm X.

Mr. Rickford studies important topics like the history of Black activism and Black culture after World War II. He also teaches about American social and political history.

Early Life and School

Russell Rickford was born in Guyana. He grew up in Palo Alto, California. His mother, Angela E. Rickford, is a professor who writes books about teaching. His father, John R. Rickford, is an expert on African-American Vernacular English. He teaches about language at Stanford University.

Russell Rickford went to Gunn High School in Palo Alto. He earned a special scholarship for his studies.

He later studied journalism at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. While there, he was president of a student group called Alpha Phi Alpha. He also wrote for the school newspaper, The Hilltop. He earned his bachelor's degree with high honors in 1997.

Career Highlights

Mr. Rickford started his career as a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. He later worked for a public relations company in Philadelphia.

Early Writings

In 1998, he began researching for a book about Betty Shabazz. In 2000, Rickford and his father wrote a book together called Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English. This book is about African-American Vernacular English. It won the American Book Award. The name "Spoken Soul" was first used by author Claude Brown. It describes the special rhythm and poetry of this way of speaking.

In 2001, Rickford left his job to focus on writing. He moved into his parents' garage to write the first detailed book about Betty Shabazz. This project took five and a half years. His book, Betty Shabazz: A Remarkable Story of Survival and Faith Before and After Malcolm X, was published in 2003. A reviewer called it a "thorough, insightful and engaging book."

University Work

In 2002, Rickford began studying at Columbia University. He earned a master's degree in African-American studies. From 2003 to 2004, he helped with a project about Malcolm X. He helped set up many interviews with people who knew Malcolm X. His mentor, Manning Marable, said Rickford created the term "Malcolmology." This term describes how Malcolm X became a cultural hero for many Black Americans.

Rickford finished his history doctorate at Columbia in 2009. His research looked at Black American politics after the Civil Rights Movement. He wanted to understand why Black nationalism became more traditional later in the 20th century.

Rickford joined the faculty at Dartmouth College in 2009. He moved to Cornell in 2014. In 2011, he edited a collection of writings by his former mentor. In 2016, Rickford completed a history book called We Are an African People: Independent Education, Black Power, and the Radical Imagination. This book is about Pan-Africanist schools during the Black Power era.

Personal Life

Russell Rickford met his wife through Manning Marable. They were both working as research assistants for the Malcolm X Project.

Works

• Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English (2000)
• Betty Shabazz: A Remarkable Story of Survival and Faith Before and After Malcolm X (2003)
• Beyond Boundaries (editor, 2011)
• We Are an African People: Independent Education, Black Power, and the Radical Imagination (2016)