Clayton State University history professor shortlisted for national book award

(August 3, 2020) - Clayton State University history professor Dr. Jelani Favors has been shortlisted for the for the MAAH Stone Book Award presented by the Museum of African American History.

Favors joins eight other authors in being recognized for exceptional non-fiction works that encourage scholarship and writing within the field of African American history and culture.

Favors penned the book Shelter in a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism about the impact student activism at historically black colleges and universities made on the fight for Black rights.

"It is extremely gratifying to know that my peers regard Shelter in a Time of Storm worthy of the recognition that it has received,” Favors says. “Moreover, I hope the scholarship is causing both historians and lay readers to rethink the often-overlooked history of HBCUs as incubators for radical change in America."

Favors explores early examples of social justice and political thought about the plight of the African American community on campuses that fostered academic excellence and served as cornerstones for the Black American experience. These higher education institutions, Favors argues, planted the seeds for the greater Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s and has inspired the political activism of today.

"I think this scholarship is relevant now more than ever. We are in the midst of a social revolution where historically marginalized people are once again unequivocally demanding that their human and civil rights be recognized and protected. What better time to learn from our history and the role that institutions of higher learning can play in affirming these demands?"

One winner and two finalists will be announced mid-August followed by a virtual award event on Oct. 15.

Learn more about Favors’s book at UNC Press.