Dr. Ken Smith New Article in Journal of African American History
The Journal of African American History Fall 2025 issue, "Reassessing the Long History
of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)" features an article by Taft
College history professor Dr. Kenneth Smith. The article "Afro-Puerto Ricans and the
Tuskegee Experience" explores Black Puerto Rican students’ at the Tuskegee Normal
and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University) and their complex relationships
with American imperialism between 1898 and 1915. At Tuskegee, Black Puerto Rican students
confronted their Black identity for the first time. United States’ intervention in
Puerto Rico offered Black Puerto Ricans opportunities that were denied to them previously
under Spanish rule. This article adds a complex dimension into the examination of
Pan-African relationships between the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and Latin America.
A PDF of the article is attached as well as a link to the issue is provided here