“When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.” -Audre Lorde

Hello, I am Le’Trice D. Donaldson. I consider myself a Blerd, but I am the founder and president of the Society For Black Military Studies (SBMS). I am an Assistant Professor of African American and U.S. history at Auburn University, but I’ll always be a VOL in my heart! Before this appointment, I taught at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. I also taught at The University of Wisconsin-Stout, The University of Mississippi, and The University of Memphis. Additionally, I worked at Medgar Evers College, Marist College, and City University of New York-York College.

I earned my Ph.D from the University of Memphis, and my B.A. and M.A. from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.  

I specialize in African American military and gender history during the post-Civil War era through World War I. The primary focus of my work is to reshape the narrative of the Black military experience. It highlights how African American men utilized military service for community uplift. It also shows their role in community defense. I am also interested in race and religion in the Caribbean and Latin America, U.S. intelligence history, and the Black Atlantic World experience.  

In addition, I am also the author of A Voyage Through the African American Experience. It is a textbook for the introduction to African American Studies. My current monograph, Duty Beyond the Battlefield: African American Soldiers Fight for Racial Uplift, Citizenship, and Manhood, 1870-1920, was published. This publication happened in February 2020. 

I co-edit a book series on the Black military experience with the University of Virginia Press. The series is entitled, “The Black Soldier in War and Society: New Narratives and Critical Perspectives.” I was also active in my local community when I lived in Memphis. I served on the steering committee for a non-partisan political organization Memphis 4 All. This organization is leading the way to help get real change and reform in the city of Memphis.

You can follow Le’Trice on twitter @eboninerd.

Please check out my pop culture blog https://www.theblerdyreport.com For all things Black and Nerdy!!!

Click the Links below to Learn more About my Research and Scholarship!!!

New Books in History Podcast Interview

History Summit 2020 Presentation

WEAU NOON Interview