Bracey to receive honorary degree from College of Wooster

The College of Wooster in Ohio is awarding an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to professor John H. Bracey, Jr. of Afro-American Studies at the school’s 143rd commencement on May 13.

The honor recognizes Bracey’s accomplishments as a distinguished social historian and pioneer of Africana studies, and his commitment to and influence on the study of the history of identity, race and gender.

As is customary at the College of Wooster, Bracey and other honorary degree recipients will share their wisdom and advice in short addresses during the commencement ceremony.

A member of the faculty since 1972, Bracey’s major interests are in African-American social history, radical ideologies and movements, and the history of African-American women. More recently, his interests have focused on the interactions between Native Americans and African-Americans and Afro-Latinos in the United States. He previously taught Afro-American history at Northern Illinois University and at the University of Rochester. During the 1960s, he was active in the civil rights, black liberation and other radical movements in Chicago. His publications include several co-edited volumes, including “Black Nationalism in America,” “African-American Women and the Vote: 1837-1965,” “Strangers and Neighbors: Relations Between Blacks and Jews in the United States” and “African American Mosaic: A Documentary History from the Slave Trade to the Present,” co-edited with professor Manisha Sinha.