Professor at UNC, Chapel Hill specializing in African-American History with an emphasis on race, law, and social movements.  Past chairperson of the Department of History at Howard University and former faculty at Hunter College and Howard University School of Law. Author of numerous scholarly articles and four books including the definitive biography of Charles Hamilton Houston, mentor of Thurgood Marshall, for which she was awarded the distinguished Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association and which was cited as a top-resource for learning on leadership in social justice. First African-American to graduate from Westridge.