Dr. Elwood Watson, a professor of history, African American studies and gender studies at ETSU, has authored a new book, “Keepin’ It Real: Essays on Race in Contemporary America,” published by the University of Chicago Press in August.
“The book is a collection composed of 41 of my own personal essays,” Watson said. “‘Keepin’ it Real’ covers various race-related issues that the United States faced during the Obama presidency and issues that continue today within Trump’s presidential era.”
Topics included within this book range from police brutality, the Obama presidency, the rise of the “alt-right” and white nationalism, President Donald Trump, Colin Kaepernick, the Black Lives Matter Movement, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the prosecution of singer R. Kelly, court cases of actor Bill Cosby, reparations and more.
“Today’s political climate is very fractured,” Watson said. “The United States is very polarized politically – in some ways racially – but our politics have no ideology. A lot of things that were happening in the 1950s seem to be repeating themselves. I don’t anticipate the same kind of civil war from the 19th century itself happening again, but I think the American public is very restless. Something similar could happen if things continue as they are.”
When Watson was asked where the inspiration for “Keepin’ it Real” stemmed from, he shared that support from his colleagues and readers gave him the encouragement to write the book.
“I’m a columnist,” he said. “I write for different magazines and newspapers. A lot of people told me the things that I wrote were very provocative. That factor combined with certain political events that occurred over the last several years gave me inspiration and prompted me to write this book.”
Watson is an award-winning scholarly author who has published more than a dozen books and several scholarly articles. He has written articles for major media sources such as The Huffington Post, Diverse Education, The Good Men Project and The Washington Post. Watson also serves as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of American Culture.
“Keepin’ It Real: Essays on Race in Contemporary America” can be purchased through the University of Chicago Press or Amazon.com.
