Rate My Professor Ula Taylor

Ula Y. Taylor is Professor and Department Chair in the Department of African American Studies & African Diaspora Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned her doctorate in American History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Taylor's research specializations encompass African American History from 1890 to 1980, Black Nationalism, Pan-Africanism, Black Feminist Theory, African American Women’s History, Civil Rights, and Black Power movements. Her scholarship examines the roles of women in black nationalist and separatist organizations, black feminist thought, and the intersection of gender, race, and politics in twentieth-century African American communities.

Taylor has authored several seminal books, including The Promise of Patriarchy: Women and the Nation of Islam (University of North Carolina Press, 2017), which explores the experiences of women in the Nation of Islam; The Veiled Garvey: The Life and Times of Amy Jacques Garvey (University of North Carolina Press, 2002), a biography highlighting the contributions of Marcus Garvey's wife to Pan-Africanism; and co-authored Panther: A Pictorial History of the Black Panthers and the Story Behind the Film (Newmarket Press, 1995). She also co-edited Black California Dreamin': The Crisis of California African American Communities. Her numerous articles appear in leading journals such as The Journal of African American History, Journal of Women’s History, Feminist Studies, Souls, and Journal of Black Studies. Key publications include “The Historical Evolution of Black Feminist Theory and Praxis” (Journal of Black Studies, 1998), “Black Feminisms and Human Agency” in No Permanent Waves (Rutgers University Press, 2010), “Introduction: The Shaping of an Activist and Scholar” (The Journal of African American History, 2011), and “Amy Jacques Garvey: Community Feminist” (Journal of Women’s History, 2000).

Recognized for her excellence in teaching and research, Taylor received the 2013 Distinguished Professor Teaching Award from the University of California, Berkeley—the second African American woman in the university's history to earn this honor, given to only 5% of academic senate faculty. Earlier fellowships include the Ford Foundation Minority Dissertation Fellowship, University of California Presidential Dissertation Fellowship, Interdisciplinary Humanities Grant, and Graduate Opportunity Fellowship.