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Herb Boyd

ハーブ・ボイド

Harbu Boido

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1938-11-01 （Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
journalist, teacher, author, activist
Active Years
1960-
Influenced By
Malcolm X
Nominations
NAACP Image Award (Baldwin's Harlem, nominated)

Education

Wayne State University
Philosophy
Degree: BA
Country: United States
Helped establish early black studies courses and later taught at the university

Awards

American Book Award
1995
Work: Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America (co-editor)
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞
NABJ Hall of Fame
2014
Organization: National Association of Black Journalists
Result: 受賞
James Aronson Social Justice Journalism Awards (Outstanding Career Achievement)
2018
Organization: Hunter College (James Aronson Awards)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

African History for Beginners

2007 History / Beginner's guide

A beginner's guide to African history that explains major events and figures in accessible language to provide historical context of the continent.

African historyeducational

Autobiography of a People: Three Centuries of African-American History Told by Those Who Lived It (editor)

2000 Edited anthology / History

An edited anthology compiling three centuries of African-American history through firsthand accounts and primary documents.

oral historyAfrican-American experience

Baldwin's Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin

2008 Biography

A biography focusing on James Baldwin's time in Harlem, exploring his life and literary and political work.

biographyliterary historycivil rights

Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-Determination

2017 Local history / Social history

A history of Detroit's Black community and its efforts toward self-determination.

urban historycommunityself-determination

Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America (co-editor)

1995 Essays / Humanities

An anthology examining the experiences and history of Black men in America, co-edited with Robert L. Allen; recipient of the 1995 American Book Award.

racegenderhistory

By Any Means Necessary: Malcolm X: Real, Not Reinvented (co-editor)

2012 Essays / Edited volume

An edited volume reassessing Malcolm X, examining his ideas and achievements while resisting mythologizing.

Malcolm Xpolitical thoughthistorical reassessment

The Gentle Giant: The Autobiography of Yusef Lateef (with Yusef Lateef)

2005 Autobiography / Music

A co-authored autobiography of jazz musician Yusef Lateef, covering music, life, and spirituality.

jazzautobiographymusic history

We Shall Overcome: The History of the Civil Rights Movement as It Happened

2004 History / Civil rights

A chronological overview of the major events of the civil rights movement, explaining its developments and impact.

civil rights movementhistory education

Bibliography

  • African History for Beginners
  • Autobiography of a People: Three Centuries of African-American History Told by Those Who Lived It (editor)
  • Baldwin's Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin
  • Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-Determination
  • Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America (co-editor)
  • By Any Means Necessary: Malcolm X: Real, Not Reinvented (co-editor)
  • The Gentle Giant: The Autobiography of Yusef Lateef (with Yusef Lateef)
  • We Shall Overcome: The History of the Civil Rights Movement as It Happened

Style & Themes

Literary Style
argumentative, fact-based prosebiographical and oral-history approachstyle situated between scholarship and journalism
Recurring Motifs
civil rights movementAfrican-American history and experiencejazz and musical culture

Legacy

Herb Boyd contributed as a journalist, educator, and author to making African-American history and culture visible. His edited volumes and biographies are respected both academically and by general readers; his career has been recognized by honors such as induction into the NABJ Hall of Fame.

Academic Societies

  • National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)

Quotes

  • "[Malcolm] set me on the path to become the writer-activist I am, to try to live up to the very ennobling things that he represented."
    Source: New York Amsterdam News (remarks / recollection) (2011)

Trivia

  • Met Malcolm X in 1958 and credits him as a major influence.
  • Co-edited 'Brotherman' with Robert L. Allen, which won the 1995 American Book Award.
  • Inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame in 2014.
  • Has credited his wife, Elza Dinwiddie-Boyd, for assisting in editing his books.