The passing of Professor John H. Bracey, Jr., faculty member in the Afro-American Studies Department at UMass Amherst, signals a profound loss for our community. Professor Bracey was generous in his concept of public scholarship, offering his time and expertise to innumerable local events and organizations over his 50-plus years in western Massachusetts. Those of us who were lucky enough to attend his undergraduate and graduate seminars at the New Africa House experienced not only the tutelage of an incredible historian, but also the intimate stories and personal insight of someone who contributed extensively to the struggle for racial justice and Black liberation.

Listening to Professor Bracey rhapsodize was like bathing in a steam room of American history — his stories would surround you, affect you, and make you sweat with curiosity and emotion. You left with more questions than answers, and that was the point. We mourn not just the passing of a great scholar, but of the living memories he carried with him. Who else can tell us, “when Jimmy (James Baldwin) and a hitchhiker he picked up joined us unexpectedly for Christmas dinner,” or, “holding my mother’s hand in the Howard University library, listening to an elderly DuBois lecture with the vigor of a 30-year-old.”

Saying that I, “read W.E.B. DuBois with Professor Bracey” is one of my proudest and most useful academic achievements. It is of great comfort in this moment of grief to know that these stories and sentiments are shared with thousands of fellow travelers. May we all aspire to such beauty and purpose, thank you for leading the way Professor Bracey.

Joshua Freund

Montague

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