Russell Wigginton (PhD, '01, History) is the president of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. A profile about his career was the cover story of the Summer 2024 issue of Illinois Alumni magazine....

This year Ernest Crim III (BA, '09, history) was our convocation speaker. Crim is the founder of Crim’s Cultural Consulting. Through his work, he speaks to companies, middle and high schools, educators, colleges, and community groups and uses Black historical narratives to empower and educate...

The Department of History is proud to announce professor Teri Chettiar has been selected as a Conrad Humanities Scholar. The Conrad Humanities Scholars Award...

The Department of History is pleased to announce that professor Jerry Dávila has been selected for the Presidential Fellows Program. Dávila holds the Jorge Paulo Lemann Chair in Brazilian History and...

Charles J. Shields (BA, English, '75; MA, History, '79) is the author of 20 nonfiction books for young readers, and biographies of Harper Lee, John Williams, Kurt Vonnegut, and Lorraine Hansberry. He recently retired after a successful 25 year career as a writer where he combined his interest in...

Federal policy toward Native American tribal nations in the first half of the 20th century sought to end the government’s legal and political relationship with tribes. A new book by University of Illinois history professor ...