Starkey in Defense of Uncle Tom

Brando Starkey, a long-time guest here in the faculty lounge and former professor at Villanova and Thomas Jefferson, has just published In Defense of Uncle Tom: Why Blacks Must Police Racial Loyalty with Cambridge University Press.  Brando's book takes a look at the invocation of the epithet "Uncle Tom" against African Americans from the early twentieth century through the Civil Rights movement.  He argues -- controversially -- for its continued use today to police racial solidarity in the African American community.  I think it's going to get a lot of attention. A lot of people are going to disagree with his conclusion, but most everyone will find the history really interesting and the argument about current politics exciting to read, even if controversial, perhaps very controversial.

Brando has blogged extensively about the book here in the faculty lounge, as well as the new book he is working on, about college athletes. And therein lies an exciting story.  Brando is joining a new website created by Jason Whitlock and ESPN, TheUndefeated.com, which will launch this summer.  It will focus on African American athletes and will also have commentary on African American politics and culture. Until this summer their work will appear on ESPN's website.  For instance, here is one of their stories on Charles Barkley.  The story, which is titled "Up from Leeds," begins with a comparison to Booker T. Washington's Atlanta Exposition speech.  The title refers to Barkley's hometown of Leeds, Alabama, and is a nod to Washington's book "Up from Slavery."  ESPN describes The Undefeated's mission in this way:

Through the lens of sports, The Undefeated will be the premier platform for intelligent analysis and celebration of black culture and the African-American struggle for equality.  The Undefeated will challenge, engage and advocate for people of color in a manner consistent with the black-press pioneers, such as Sam Lacy, who led the charge for Jackie Robinson's civil rights-sparking baseball career.

I'm very much looking forward to Brando's work at The Undefeated as he joins his deep knowledge and love for African American history with contemporary sports and society.  And I'd like to congratulate him on having a lot bigger audience than we have here in the lounge.

Comments

[Brando]

Thanks for the kind words!