Photographer unknown; promotional image used in many publications. African American, Documentary Film, Cultural Theory Marlon Troy Riggs (1957-1994) Marlon Riggs was an award-winning filmmaker whose work challenged racial and gay stereotypes in their historical and cultural contexts. Marlon Troy Riggs was born in 1957 in Fort Worth, Texas, to Alvin and Jean Riggs, who were …
bell hooks at the New School, 10 October 2014. Photo by Alex Lozupone (Tduk), via Wikimedia Commons African American, Cultural Theory, Philosophy bell hooks (Gloria Jean Watkins) (1952-2021) Gloria Jean Watkins, best known by her adopted pen name, bell hooks, was one of the most respected and prolific Black woman thinkers of all time, celebrated …
Photo by K. Kendall, Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa shown in 1990 at Smith College, via Flickr. Chicana, Cultural Theory, Philosophy, Poetry Gloria Anzaldúa (1942-2004) Dr. Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa had a deep and profound influence on Chicana Cultural Studies through her work as a philosopher, poet, essayist, children’s book author, theorist, and a self-described “tejana patlache (queer) …
Image from the University of Colorado Law School Native American (Standing Rock Sioux), Cultural Theory, Religion Vine Deloria (1933-2005) Vine Deloria, Jr. was a preeminent cultural theorist, theologian, and educator of Native American religion, epistemologies, rights, and culture. Vine Deloria, Jr., a Hunkpapa Lakota, was born, in Martin, South Dakota, to Vine Deloria, Sr., and …
Photo by K. Kendall, April 1980, Austin, TX, via Flickr African American, Cultural Theory, Philosophy, Library Work Audre Lorde (1932-1992) Audre Geraldine Lorde was a self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet and essayist” whose work highlighted the tenets of intersectional critical theorizing in race, gender, and sexuality. Lorde was born in New York City to …
Portrait by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, courtesy of the photographer African American, Cultural Theory, Literature Toni Morrison (1931-2019) Born Chloe Anthony Wofford in 1931 in Lorain, Ohio to Ramah and George Wofford whose parents had fled Georgia to escape sharecropping, debt, and violence. Raised in a household that nurtured traditional storytelling, she learned to value ancestors, community …
Photo from the Boggs Center Chinese American, Cultural Theory, Philosophy, Activism Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015) Dr. Grace Lee Boggs was a community builder, activist, and philosopher, whose actions and writings have been widely influential for organizers, academics, and artists invested in work and forging practices that transform society. Grace Chin Lee was given the name …
Photo by James E. Purdy (1859 – 1933). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Object Number NPG.80.25. African American, Cultural Theory, Sociology William Edward Burghardt DuBois (1868-1963) William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was one of the most influential figures in African American studies and American history. Born and raised in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, he traveled south …
