Lawrence C. Ross Jr. (born February 20, 1966) is an author of historical texts and fiction.
Life
He was born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, and attended
Loyola High School and then
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, and
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
, where he earned a degree in History.
Ross has a
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...
, in
screenwriting
Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession.
Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, de ...
.
Ross worked as a reporter, for the ''Los Angeles Independent Newspaper'' and was appointed managing editor of ''Rap Sheet magazine'', hip hop's first West Coast magazine in 1997.
In 1997, Ross, a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, began writing ''The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities'' (). ''The Divine Nine'' was the first book written that covered the members of the
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities also referred to as Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). The NPHC was formed as a permanent ...
(NPHC). The book has appeared on the
bestseller lists of the
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
,
Essence
Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...
and Blackboard magazine. As a result of Ross's ''Divine Nine'', he toured the campus lecture circuit. In the past ten years, Ross has lectured at over 300 colleges and universities, on the topics of the NPHC and
hazing and how
black fraternity and sorority members can fulfill their promise.
He has also written commentaries for The Root.com, The Grio.com and CNN.com about African American fraternal life and education.
In 2001, Ross's second book, ''The Ways of Black Folks: A Year in the Life of a People,'' was published. In it, Ross chronicles the stories of black people from throughout the
African diaspora. It was selected as a "Fall Must Read", by the
National Association of Black Journalists
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of African-American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C., by 44 journalists, the NABJ's stated purpose is to provide quality p ...
.
Ross's third book and fiction debut, ''Friends With Benefits,'' was chosen as a main selection, by
Doubleday's Black Expressions Book Club.
In October 2007, his fourth book, ''Skin Game,'' was published by
Kensington Books
Kensington Publishing Corp. is an American, New York-based publishing house founded in 1974 by Walter Zacharius (1923–2011)Grimes, William"Walter Zacharius, Romance Publisher, Dies at 87,"''New York Times'' (MARCH 7, 2011). and Roberta Bender G ...
. In September 2007, his fifth book, ''Money Shot: The Wild Nights and Lonely Days in Black Porn,'' was published by
Thunder's Mouth Press
Perseus Books Group was an American publishing company founded in 1996 by investor Frank Pearl. Perseus acquired the trade publishing division of Addison-Wesley (including the Merloyd Lawrence imprint) in 1997. It was named Publisher of the Y ...
. ''Money Shot'' was the first book written about the black adult industry. In February 2016, St. Martin's Press published his sixth book, ''Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America's Campuses''.
Ross has appeared as a guest on
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
and on television shows, such as ''Good Morning Atlanta''. He has been interviewed in ''
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...
'', ''
Savoy'', ''
Essence
Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...
'' and ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...
'' magazines, the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'', Africana.com and ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
''.
In 2018, Ross received an honorary PhD from the
University of La Verne
The University of La Verne (ULV) is a private university in La Verne, California. Founded in 1891, the university is composed of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Public Management, the LaFetra College of Education, College o ...
.
Works
*''The Divine Nine : The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities'', New York, NY: Kensington Publishing, 2000, ,
*''The Ways of Black Folks : A Year in the Life of a People'', New York: Dafina ; London : Turnaround, 2004. ,
*''Blackballed : The Black and White Politics of Race on America's Campuses'', New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ,
See also
*
List of Alpha Phi Alpha brothers
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Lawrence
1966 births
Living people
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
African-American novelists
American male novelists
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
20th-century African-American writers
21st-century African-American writers
African-American male writers