Dr. Brian Jones has held several positions at the New York Public Library, at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Center for Educators and Schools, and now as the Senior Director of Reading and Engagement. He is an alumnus of the doctoral program in Urban Education at the Graduate Center as is his conversation partner and fellow scholar, Dr. Robert Robinson. When Robert challenges Brian to an abbreviated biography, Brian refers to himself as a reader, writer, teacher, and learner of Black history. In this episode, they discuss Brian’s latest book, Black History is for Everyone, published by Haymarket Books in 2025. Their deep and thought-provoking conversation is framed around the four themes from Brian’s book: race, nation, revolution, and education.
Dr. Robert Robinson is assistant professor in Africana Studies and Gender Studies at John Jay and doctoral faculty in Urban Studies, Africana Studies and Interactive Technology and Pedagogy at the Graduate Center. His forthcoming book, Education for the Revolution: The Legacy of the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School, will be published by NYU Press in January.
Some of the scholars and book mentioned:
- Jean Casimir, The Haitians: A Decolonial History
- Ashley Farmer, Queen Mother: Black Nationalism, Reparations, and the Untold Story of Audley Moore
- Jesse Hagopian, Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education
- Donna Murch, Living for the City: Migration, Education, and the Rise of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California
Listen to Episode 125 now! (Apple Podcasts) (Spotify) (JSTOR – includes transcript)
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