White Money/Black Power

The untold story of why and how white philanthropy helped create African American studiesThe history of African American studies is often told as a heroic tale, with compelling images of black power and passionate African American students who refused to take no for an answer. Noliwe M. Rooks argues for the recognition of another story, which proves that many of the programs that survived actually began as a result of white philanthropy. With unflinching honesty, Rooks shows that the only way to create a stable future for African American studies is by confronting its complex past.

Noliwe M. Rooks is associate director of African American studies at Princeton University. The author of Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women and Ladies' Pages: African American Women's Magazines and the Culture That Made Them, she lives in Princeton, New Jersey.