William Sturkey

Dr. William Sturkey is an historian of the post-1865 United States at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Specializing in the history of race in the American South, most of his research centers the experiences of working-class racial minorities. His first book, To Write in the Light of Freedom, is a co-edited collection of newspapers, essays, and poems produced by African American Freedom School students during the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964. His second book, Hattiesburg: An American City in Black and White, is a biracial history of Southern Jim Crow that was published by Harvard University Press in March of 2019. He is currently working on a biography of the legendary Vietnam War hero Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez.

Dr. Sturkey is an engaged public scholar who has been widely recognized for his service and scholarship. During the 2017-2018 academic year, he was named one of two faculty recipients of the university-wide UNC Diversity and Inclusion Award for “significant contribution, time and effort of Carolina community members towards advancing an inclusive climate for excellence in teaching, research, public service and academic endeavor.” In 2020, he was awarded the UNC Hettleman Prize for outstanding early career achievement.

Bio created December 2021