When I tell someone outside of academia that I am a African American literature professor, I am never quite sure what kind of response I will get. Some people respond by telling me how much they love [fill in the name of the last–or only–African American novel they read] . Others ask about my favorite novels, writers, or historical periods. I really enjoy answering questions like this. The man in this drawing fell into this latter category. When I told him about my research in the area 19th-century Black literary history, he told me about his own African American history research, as an amateur genealogist. He chatted with me for a good 15 minutes before I told him I had to get to my office to prepare for my first day of classes. He was waiting for his daughter, who is a new student at my institution, and he seemed quite pleased to be able to connect with a Black faculty member. I was equally happy to connect with a fellow Black history buff.

8-Rock