Martha Biondi is an American historian. She is the

Lorraine H. Morton Lorraine Hairston Morton (December 8, 1918 – September 8, 2018) was an American politician who was the mayor of Evanston, Illinois, from 1993 to 2009.

Professor of African American Studies and Professor of History at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Biography

Biondi was raised in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. She received her B.A. from

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Her specialization is 20th-century

African American history African-American history began with the arrival of List of ethnic groups of Africa, Africans to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. Former Spanish slaves who had been freed by Francis Drake arrived aboard the Golden Hind at New Albi ...

with a focus on social movements. She served as chair of Northwestern University's African American studies department. Biondi won the

Wesley Logan Prize The Wesley Logan Prize is an annual prize given to a historian by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Association for the Study of Afro-American Life & History Background The Wesley-Logan Prize is jointly sponsore ...

from the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

and the Association for the Study of African American Life for her book, ''The Black Revolution on Campus'' (2014), which documented the history of black student activism in American campuses. She also received a 2004

Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award The Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Awards were literary awards given out each year between 1985 and 2008 by the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights. (Both the awards and the center sometimes had different variations on ...

for her book, ''To Stand and Fight: the Struggle for Civil Rights in Postwar New York City'' (2003). She was the partner of

James Thindwa James Thindwa is a community organizer in the Chicago, Illinois area. He heads Chicago Jobs with Justice, where he organizes for workers rights.

until his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biondi, Martha Living people American historians American women historians Northwestern University faculty Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Barnard College alumni Historians of African Americans Year of birth missing (living people)