Matthew Whitaker is an associate professor of History at Arizona State University. He earned his B.A. in Sociology, B.A. in History, and M.A. in United States History, from ASU. He then attended Michigan State University in Lansing, where he earned his Ph.D. Professor Whitaker specializes in Modern U.S. history, African American history, the African Diaspora, Civil and Human Rights, sports history, popular culture and the American West. His research focuses on African American leadership, social movements, activism, and the struggle for racial, economic, and gender equality in American history and life. His articles have appeared in many scholarly journals and encyclopedias, and his latest book is entitled Race Work: The Rise of Civil Rights in the Urban West (University of Nebraska Press, 2005).

Matthew Whitaker in front of the camera for my New American University