Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Political Science
Howard University
1997

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Political Science
Howard University
1994

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Mass Communications
Wayne State University
1976

International Relations

Focus on global race relations, human rights, ethnic relations

Black Politics

Focus on electoral politics, black social movements, drug policy and race, education and race, jazz and politics

Introduction to Black Politics - Undergraduate

Introduction to Black Politics - Graduate

Race in the Americas

Race in Europe

The American Presidency

Pan-Africanism

Former "Independent Expert" to the Council of Europe's European Commission Against Racism and Intoleranc

Honoree, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation - American University Black Alumni Alliance award, 2015

Visiting Scholar, Ritsumeikan University, March-August, 2014

Outstanding Scholarship, Research & Professional Contributions Award, School of International Service Annual Awards, American University, 2011

Selected Books

Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy 

In Twenty Dollars and Change, political scientist Clarence Lusane, author of the acclaimed The Black History of the White House, writes from a basic premise: Racist historical narratives and pervasive social inequities are inextricably linked–changing one can transform the other. Taking up the debate over the future of the twenty-dollar bill, Lusane uses the question of Harriet Tubman vs. Andrew Jackson as a lens through which to view the current state of our nation’s ongoing reckoning with the legacies of slavery and foundational white supremacy.

The Black History of the White House

Clarence Lusane juxtaposes significant events in White House history with the ongoing struggle for democratic, civil, and human rights by black Americans and demonstrates that only during crises have presidents used their authority to advance racial justice. He describes how in 1901 the building was officially named the “White House” amidst a furious backlash against President Roosevelt for inviting Booker T. Washington to dinner, and how that same year that saw the consolidation of white power with the departure of the last black Congressmember elected after the Civil War. Lusane explores how, from its construction in 1792 to its becoming the home of the first black president, the White House has been a prism through which to view the progress and struggles of black Americans seeking full citizenship and justice.

Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice: Foreign Policy, Race, and the New American Century

This insightful work critically examines the roles played by former Secretary of State Colin Powell and current Secretary of State (and former National Security Advisor) Condoleezza Rice in the construction of U.S. foreign policy, exploring the ways in which their racial identity challenges conventional notions about the role of race in international relations.

Hitler’s Black Victims: The Historic Experiences of Afro-Germans, Africans, Afro Europeans, and African Americans During the Nazi Era

Drawing on interviews with the black survivors of Nazi concentration camps and archival research in North America, Europe, and Africa, this book documents and analyzes the meaning of Nazism's racial policies towards people of African descent, specifically those born in Germany, England, France, the United States, and Africa, and the impact of that legacy on contemporary race relations in Germany, and more generally, in Europe. The book also specifically addresses the concerns of those surviving Afro-Germans who were victims of Nazism, but have not generally been included in or benefited from the compensation agreements that have been developed in recent years.

Race in the Global Era: African Americans at the Millennium, South End Press, 1997.

No Easy Victories: Black Americans and the Vote, Franklin-Watts Publishers, 1996.

African American at the Crossroads: The Restructuring of Black Leadership, South End Press, 1994.

The Struggle for Equal Education, Franklin-Watts Publishers, 1992.

Pipe Dream Blues: Racism and the War on Drugs, South End Press, 1991

Trump is spitting on the grave of Martin Luther King Jr.

Trump is spitting on the grave of Martin Luther King Jr.

The president and MAGA are misusing King's name — and taking a wrecking ball to civil rights protections

How D.C. could decide the next presidential election

How D.C. could decide the next presidential election 

The article argues that the exclusion of D.C. from having a vote in the event that the U.S. House of Representatives  has to decide the outcome of a presidential election is undemocratic and can be remedied reform of the Electoral Vote Act. 

Washington Post, July 20, 2022.

Colin Powell was a paradoxical man in a polarized time

Colin Powell was a paradoxical man in a polarized time

In the aftermath of the passing of Colin Powell, the article argues that Powell should be remembered for all of his complexities and contradictions, and not as either an unvarnished hero or war-mongering villain. 

Washington Post, November 3, 2021.

The Emancipation Proclamation Did Not End Slavery. Here’s What Did.

The Emancipation Proclamation Did Not End Slavery. Here’s What Did.

In light of the designation of "Juneteenth" as a federal holiday, the article clarifies that slavery did not end with the arrival of Union troops in Texas on June 19, 1865, where they freed those who remained in slavery there, but emancipation was not formalized until December 6, 1865 when the 13th Amendment was ratified.

Washington Post, June 25, 2021.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

“Twenty and Change,” book talk, American Library Association annual conference, Washington, DC, May 26, 2022.

“African Americans and the Building of Washington, DC,” Towards a People’s History of Landscape seminar, NEH Summer Institute, Washington, DC, May 24, 2022.

“People of African Descent and Global Human Rights,” Juneteenth Event, UN Permanent Forum for People of African Descent, Washington, DC, June 15, 2022.

“U.S. Federalism Briefing,” presentation, U.S. State Department, Washington, DC, May 23, 2022.

“The Political Meaning of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, presentation to Purdue University students, Washington, DC, May 19, 2022.

“U.S. Federalism Briefing, presentation, U.S. State Department, Washington, DC, May 16, 2022

“U.S. Federalism Briefing, presentation, U.S. State Department, Washington, DC, May 9, 2022.

“Blacks in the Weimar Republic and Under Nazism,” presentation, Albright University, virtual, April 25, 2022.

“The U.S. Constitution and Race,” presentation, Young African Leaders Initiative, Washington, DC, April 8, 2022.

“Race, Politics, and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine,” presentation, Howard University, March 2, 2022.

“The Black History of the White House,” presentation, Shook, Hardy and Bacon LLP, virtual, February 10, 2021.

“The Black History of the White House,” presentation, Kelley, Drye, and Warren LLP, virtual, February 23, 2021.

“Black Internationalism,” presentation, John Hopkins University, Washington, DC, February 15, 2022.

“The Black History of the White House,” presentation, Alston and Byrd LLP, virtual, February 9, 2022.