Quintard Taylor

__FORCETOC__

{{Infobox person

| name = Quintard Taylor

| image = File:Quintard Taylor 05.jpg

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|12|11}}

| birth_place = Brownsville, Tennessee, U.S.

| occupation = Historian

| known_for = Founder of BlackPast.org

| parents = Grace Taylor (1909–1991), Quintard Taylor Sr. (1898–1969)

| birth_name = Quintard Taylor Jr.

| education = St. Augustine's College; University of Minnesota

}}

Quintard Taylor (born December 11, 1948) is a historian, founder of BlackPast.org, an online encyclopedia dedicated to provide public with information concerning African-American history,{{Cite web |title=Taylor, Quintard, Jr. (b. 1948) |url=https://www.blackpast.org/about-us/ |website=History Link}} and former professor of University of Washington.{{Cite web |title=BlackPast.org |url=https://www.blackpast.org/about-us/ |website=Black Past}}{{Cite news |last=Brutsch |first=Rachel |title=African-American history goes far beyond famous faces |pages=1 |work=Deseret News |url=https://www.deseret.com/2012/3/5/20499487/african-american-history-goes-far-beyond-famous-faces}}{{Cite web |last=Morrison |first=Noelle |title=From the pages of BlackPast: Six African American women who changed the West (and the World) |url=https://www.washington.edu/facultystaff/2019/04/12/from-the-pages-of-blackpast-six-african-american-women-who-changed-the-west-and-the-world/ |website=University of Washington|date=April 12, 2019}}

Personal life

Taylor was born on December 11, 1948, to Quintard Taylor Sr. and Grace Taylor in Brownsville, Tennessee, where he finished his high school education. Taylor completed his B.A. from St. Augustine's College in 1969 in American History, and finished his M.A. degree and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1971 and 1977, respectively in History.

While working as a teacher at the Washington State University, he married Carolyn,{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Quintard |title=The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle's Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era (Emil and Kathleen Sick Book Series in Western History and Biography) |publisher=University of Washington |date=June 7, 2022 |isbn=978-0295750415 |edition=One |location=Seattle |pages=7(Acknowledgement), 190}} and he had three children: Quintard III, and twins, William and Jamila.

Taylor taught in several universities including, Washington State University, California Polytechnic State University, and University of Oregon, and University of Washington, until his retirement in June 2018.{{Cite web |title=Quintard Taylor (Biography) |url=https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/quintard-taylor |website=The History Makers}} He was also responsible for various research works in these universities.{{Cite web |title=Quintard Taylor Keynote Speaker, Historian, Author |url=https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/illuminates/staff/quintard-taylor/ |website=Bellevue College |access-date=2022-09-15 |archive-date=2023-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216204246/https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/illuminates/staff/quintard-taylor/ |url-status=dead }}

Apart from his research articles, he published several books and articles, including The Forging of a Black Community: A History of Seattle's Central District, The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle's Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era, In Search of the Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West 1528–1990.{{Cite web |title=Quintard Taylor, Professor Emeritus, Scott and Dorothy Bullitt Professor of American History |url=https://history.washington.edu/people/quintard-taylor |website=Department of History of University of Washington}}{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Quintard |title=The Making of the Modern World: A history of the Twentieth Century |publisher=Kendall Hunt Publishing Company |date=January 1, 1990 |isbn=978-0840361103 |edition=One |location=Iowa |pages=5, 6, 7, 100}}

Education

= Early education =

Taylor graduated from Carver High School in Brownsville, Tennessee. He finished his high school graduation in 10th place among 210 students. His parents did not graduate from college but they motivated him to attend college. After graduating from high school he started his B.A. education.

= College =

In the 1960s, there were changes in West Tennessee initiated by the civil rights movement which attracted him to study history.{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Quintard |title=In search of the racial frontier : African Americans in the American West, 1528-1990 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |date=May 17, 1999 |isbn=978-0393318890 |edition=One |location=New York |pages=228, 227, 226, 5, 6}} He started his B.A. education, at the age of 16, in St. Augustine's College, North Carolina in American history and graduated in 1969.

= Graduate school =

After finishing college, he started his M.A. degree in the University of Minnesota which later proved to be a factor for Taylor to search the new curriculum of African American history study. Allan Spear was one of the professors who introduced an African American history program called African Peoples at the University of Minnesota. Spear was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1972, representing a liberal Minneapolis district centered on the University of Minnesota. Taylor graduated in 1971.

In 1975, after teaching for four years at Washington State University, he started his Ph.D. program at the University of Minnesota. He finished his graduation in 1977 in History.

Career

= Early in his career =

Having finished his graduation from University of Minnesota in 1971, Taylor started his career as assistant professor at the Washington State University (WSU) in 1971. He was hired into the newly formed Black Studies program and there he became one of two full-time Black Studies professors at the university. He taught in that university 4 years until 1975 before starting his PhD.

= Career as professor of history =

After completion of his doctorate in 1977, he started to look for a job to settle in with his family. He became a professor of history at California Polytechnic State University in 1977. He continued to teach there for more than 12 years until 1990.

In 1987, he became a professor of history at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria. He taught there until 1988.{{Cite web |title=About Taylor |url=http://www.quintardtaylor.com/about-taylor#professional |website=Dr. Quintard Taylor Jr.}}

Next, in 1990, he became a professor of history at University of Oregon. He continuously taught there nine years until 1999.

= Scott & Dorothy Bullitt Professor of American History =

Finally, in 1999, he became a professor of American History at the University of Washington. He continued to teach there for more than 18 years, until his retirement in June 2018.{{Cite book |title=Seeking El Dorado: African Americans in California |publisher=University of Washington Press |date=January 1, 2001 |isbn=978-0295980836 |edition=One |location=Los Angeles |pages=270}}{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Quintard |title=From Timbuktu to Katrina : readings in African-American history Vol 1 |publisher=Thomson Wadsworth |year=2008 |isbn=978-0495092773 |edition=1st |location=Boston |pages=7, Preface, About Author}}

Published works

= Books =

The Making of the Modern World: A Reader in 20th Century Global History (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company, 1990)
The Forging of a Black Community: A History of Seattle's Central District (Seattle: University of Washington, 2022){{Cite web |last=Hinchliffe |first=Emma R |title=Quintard Taylor's publications |url=https://history.washington.edu/news/2018/04/06/home-award-winning-faculty |website=University of Washington}}
In Search of the Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West, 1528–1990 (New York: W.W. Norton, 1998) Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in History
Lawrence B. de Graaf, Kevin Mulroy and Quintard Taylor, eds. Seeking El Dorado: African Americans in California, 1769-1997 (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001)
Shirley Ann Wilson Moore and Quintard Taylor, eds. African American Women Confront the West, 1600–2000 (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2003){{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Quintard |title=African American Women Confront the West, 1600–2000 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |date=August 1, 2008 |isbn=978-0806139791 |edition=One |location=Montana |pages=192}}
From Timbuktu to Katrina: Readings in African American History, Vol. 1 (Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008)
From Timbuktu to Katrina: Readings in African American History, Vol. 2 (Belmont:Wadsworth Publishing, 2007),{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Quintard |title=From Timbuktu to Katrina: Sources in African-American History Volume 2 |publisher=Wadsworth Publishing |date=July 30, 2007 |isbn=978-0495092780 |edition=1st |location=Belmont |pages=7, Prefix, About Author, 208}}{{Cite web |title=FROM TIMBUKTU TO KATRINA: Sources in African-American History, Volume 2 |url=http://www.quintardtaylor.com/timbuktu-katrina-sources-african-american-history-volume-2 |website=Dr. Quintard Taylor Jr.}}
America-I-Am Black Facts: The Story of a People Through Timelines, 1601–2000 (New York: Tavis Smiley Books, 2009){{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Quintard |title=America I AM Black Facts: The Timelines of African American History, 1601-2008 |publisher=Hay House Inc. |date=February 2, 2009 |isbn=978-1401924065 |edition=1st |location=California |pages=7, Acknowledgement, 240}}
Dr. Sam, Soldier, Educator, Advocate, Friend: The Autobiography of Samuel Eugene Kelly (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2010){{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Quintard |title=Dr. Sam, Soldier, Educator, Advocate, Friend: An Autobiography |publisher=University of Washington Press |date=September 5, 2013 |isbn=978-0295993348 |edition=1st |pages=7, 240}}

= Website =

Founder and Director, BlackPast.org.

= TV series =

African Americans in the West, January–February 2006.

Recognition

= Awards =

Washington State Jefferson Award 2015.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Eric W. |title=Quintard Taylor Named Washington State Jefferson Award Grand Winner |url=https://history.washington.edu/news/2015/04/13/quintard-taylor-named-washington-state-jefferson-award-grand-winner |website=University of Washington|date=April 13, 2015}}
Awarded Robert Gray Medal by Washington State Historical Society 2017{{Cite web |last=Mahoney |first=Eleanor |title=Quintard Taylor Awarded Robert Gray Medal by Washington State Historical Society |url=https://history.washington.edu/news/2017/09/01/professor-emeritus-quintard-taylor-awarded-robert-gray-medal-washington-state |website=University of Washington|date= September 1, 2017}}
Receives lifetime achievement award{{Cite web |last=Hinchliffe |first=Emma R |title=Department of History's Quintard Taylor wins lifetime achievement award. |url=https://history.washington.edu/news/2018/02/23/department-historys-quintard-taylor-wins-lifetime-achievement-award |website=University of Washington|date=February 23, 2018}}

= Others =

Featured in KPLU article.{{Cite web |last=Roy |first=Alyson |title=Emeritus Professor Quintard Taylor Featured in KPLU Article |url=https://history.washington.edu/news/2016/03/03/emeritus-professor-quintard-taylor-featured-kplu-article |website=University of Washington|date=March 3, 2016}}
Featured in Pacific NW Magazine{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Eric W. |title=Quintard Taylor Featured in Pacific NW Magazine |url=https://history.washington.edu/news/2017/02/26/quintard-taylor-featured-pacific-nw-magazine |website=University of Washington|date=February 26, 2017}}
Contributions to Black History acknowledged, 2021{{Cite web |last=Zeng |first=Xiaoshun |title=President Ana Mari Cauce Acclaimed Professor Emeritus Quintard Taylor's Contributions to Black History |url=https://history.washington.edu/news/2021/04/08/president-ana-mari-cauce-acclaimed-professor-emeritus-quintard-taylors-contributions |website=University of Washington|date=April 8, 2021}}