ASALH Congratulates Dr. V. P. Franklin For 'National Council for Black Studies Award'

[Dr. V. P. Franklin, Ph.D.]

Sylvia Cyrus of ASALH.org, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, sends this news:

ASALH Congratulates Dr. V.P. Franklin for Receiving NCBS Award

Washington, DC - (April 14, 2011) Dr. V.P. Franklin, Editor of The Journal of African American History (JAAH) for ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) was awarded the prestigious Ida B. Wells and Cheikh Award from the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS). The award is given for outstanding scholarship and leadership in Africana Studies and is the organization's highest scholarly honor. The NCBS is the leading organization of Black Studies professionals in the world. The members have been at the forefront of the movement for the establishment of Africana Studies departments and programs for over 30 years.

Dr. James B. Stewart, President of ASALH, Sylvia Cyrus, Executive Director and the Executive Council members extended their congratulations to Dr. Franklin for receiving this top honor. Dr. Stewart stated, "We are extremely proud of Dr. Franklin for winning this award for academic excellence. The award is well deserved and the continuous efforts and hard work have allowed the preservation of African American history that will be undeniably recorded in the annals of time for future generations."

A highly respected scholar and educator, Dr. Franklin has served as JAAH Editor since 2002 and is a Distinguished Professor of History and Education at the University of California, Riverside. He also holds the University of California Presidential Chair and has engaged researchers on a broad range of disciplines and fields of study to document the history and experiences of people of African descent throughout the Diaspora. Special issues of the JAAH have examined topics ranging from the operation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade to the international and transnational dimensions of the "new Black Power Studies." The article "The Long Movement as Vampire: Temporal and Spatial Fallacies in Recent Freedom Studies" was written by Sundiata Cha Jua and Clarence Lang and was published in the JAAH in spring 2007. It was awarded the EBSCO host American History Award from the Organization of American Historians which is given biennially "to recognize journal articles that display a path breaking character" in American history (http://www.jaah.org).

Numerous books and monographs published by young researchers in African American and African Diaspora Studies over the last decade grew out of articles first published in the JAAH. Message in the Music: Hip Hop, History, and Pedagogy, an anthology co-edited by Dr. Franklin and forthcoming from ASALH Press, is an expansion of the JAAH Special Issue on "The History of Hip Hop" (Summer 2005). Upcoming special issues will feature articles including "African Americans and the History of Sport" and "California on My Mind: The Golden State in the African American Imagination." Another article, "African Americans and the Movements for Reparations" will be dedicated to the memory of Dr. Ronald Walters, an influential scholar and political activist.

The centennials of ASALH and JAAH in 2015-16 will feature an endowment campaign for JAAH to insure that the scholarly legacy of Dr. Carter G. Woodson will be carried on for future generations. For more information, contact ASALH at (202) 238-5910 or visit http://www.asalh.org.