Springer, Kimberly 1970–

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Springer, Kimberly 1970–

PERSONAL:

Born March 4, 1970, in St. Louis, MO. Ethnicity: "African American." Education: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, B.A., 1992; Emory University, Ph.D., 1999.

ADDRESSES:

Office— American Studies Department, King's College London, Strand Campus, London WC2R 2LS, England. E-mail— [email protected].

CAREER:

Historian and academician. Portland State University, Portland, OR, assistant professor of black studies; King's College London, London, England, senior lecturer in American studies, 2003—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Woodrow Wilson Women's Studies dissertation grant, Woodrow Wilson Foundation, 1997; American Scholar dissertation award, American Association of University Women, 1998; Mellon postdoctoral fellow, 1999.

WRITINGS:

(Editor)Still Lifting, Still Climbing: African American Women's Contemporary Activism, preface by Beverly Guy-Sheftall, epilogue by Loretta J. Ross, New York University Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968-1980, Duke University Press (Durham, NC), 2005.

Contributor to periodicals and Web sites, including Shiny Shiny: A Girl's Guide to Gadgets, Signs, Meridians, Journal of Women's History, Social Science and Medicine, and Ms. Former columnist for Pop Matters,2004-06, and Sexing the Political,2001-03.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kimberly Springer is an American scholar and academician. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 4, 1970, Springer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in women's studies and sociology in 1992 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She then continued her graduate studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1997 she was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Women's Studies dissertation grant from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. In 1998 she won an American Scholar dissertation award from the American Association of University Women. She completed her Ph.D. from Emory University the following year. Immediately following completion of her dissertation in 1999, Springer served as a Mellon post-doctoral fellow at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Springer was eventually hired by Portland State University in Oregon as an assistant professor of black studies. While at the university she taught courses in black women's studies, media and social change, and social movements. She left the university in 2003 to take a position as a lecturer in American studies at King's College London in England. There she lectures on African American studies, U.S. social movements theory, media studies, and U.S. history and culture. Springer contributes to academic periodicals and pop culture Web sites regularly.

In 1999 Springer edited her first book,Still Lifting, Still Climbing: African American Women's Contemporary Activism. This was followed in 2005 with Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968-1980. Living for the Revolution highlights the difficulties faced by black feminist organizations throughout their existence and offers solutions to address some of those issues so these organizations can become more relevant at the grassroots level. The book was well received by many critics. Writing in the Canadian Journal of Sociology, Matthew W. Hughey noted that "the marginalization of [black feminist organizations] in social life and academic discourse is a central theme in the work and it is something with which Springer is well-versed." He concluded: "In the end, Springer's work provides the combination of historical narrative and sociological theory that can be used to influence both black feminist theory and its usage in public policy and human rights activism for decades to come." Writing in the Women's Review of Books, Tricia Rose commented that "the difficulties facing formal black feminist organizing need close scrutiny if new organizations are ever to spring up and thrive. We must understand the whys and hows of their predecessors' demise as well as of their growth and legacy. This book makes an exhilarating contribution to this process." Duchess Harris, writing in the Journal of African American History, said that "as the first study to document twelve important years of black feminist activism,Living for the Revolution is a book to remember, and was well worth the wait."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Canadian Journal of Sociology, March-April, 2006, Matthew W. Hughey, review of Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968-1980.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, May, 2006, R.A. Standish, review of Living for the Revolution, p. 1683.

Contemporary Sociology, November, 2001, Patricia Hill Collins, review of Still Lifting, Still Climbing: African American Women's Contemporary Activism, p. 618.

Crisis, March 1, 2005, Patrice Gaines, review of Living for the Revolution, p. 45.

Journal of African American History, spring, 2006, Duchess Harris, review of Living for the Revolution.

Reviews in American History, March, 2006, Heather Ann Thompson, review of Living for the Revolution, p. 72.

Women's Review of Books, September 1, 2006, Tricia Rose, review of Living for the Revolution, p. 3.