DURAHN TAYLOR, PH.D345 Main Street, Apt. # 2NWhite Plains, NY 10601(914) 428-8979durahn.taylor@att.net; dtaylor@pace.edu

EDUCATIONColumbia University, Ph.D. in History, May 1999 Columbia University, Master of Philosophy in History, May 1995The American University, Master of Arts in History, May 1993Columbia University, Bachelor of Arts in History, summa cum laude, May 1990

DISSERTATION: “Black Gotham: Voters, Leaders, and the Political Game in Harlem, 1928-1950”DISSERTATION ADVISOR: Kenneth T. Jackson, Ph.D., Department of History, Columbia University

TEACHING EXPERIENCE1999-PresentPace University, Pleasantville, New YorkAssistant Professor of History (Tenured) Teach “The American Experience: Diversity, Ethnicity, and Race,” “Culture and History of Black America,” “Africa: A Historical Survey,” “Constitutional History of the United States,” “History of the American Presidency, 1900-Present,” and “The United States in the Era of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1929-1945”. Teach online version of “The American Experience: Diversity, Ethnicity, and Race” during Winter Intersessions and Summer Sessions.

Created and taught online course entitled, “Coping With Hard Times: Economic Downturns Throughout American History,” Winter Intersession January 2013

Taught a separate Online Course on American Immigration History, “The American Mosaic”, Spring 2003

July 2011-PresentNew York Council for the Humanities Lecturer, “Speakers in the Humanities” ProgramAppointed to give lectures throughout New York State on the topic, “Race, Class, and Violence: The New York Draft Riots of 1863.”

Summer 2008Columbia University, New York, New YorkLecturer in History, Columbia University Summer Session Taught “American Immigration, Diversity, and Race Relations”

Fall 2007Chappaqua Library, Chappaqua, New YorkNew York Council for the Humanities Book Discussion LeaderLed a monthly book discussion entitled “Reading Between the Lines: American Writing on Modern War.” Texts discussed included: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, If I Die in a Combat Zone by Tim O’Brien, Jarhead by Anthony Swofford, and War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges.

Summer 2005Columbia University, New York, New YorkLecturer in History, Columbia University Summer Session Taught “American Immigration, Ethnicity, and Race Relations”

1996-1998: Columbia University, New York, New York.Columbia College Opportunity Programs and Undergraduate Services, Summer Humanities and Science ProgramContemporary Civilization Instructor (Summer 1996, Summer 1997, Summer 1998)Taught abbreviated version of “Contemporary Civilization” course.Trained pre-first-year Columbia College students in critical reading and writing skills.Advised and counseled students of diverse educational, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Helped students acclimate to academic and social life at Columbia University.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE (continued)

Summer 1998: Columbia University, New York, New York.Double Discovery Center, Talent Search Early Intervention Initiative Mathematics TeacherTaught three Mathematics courses (Basic Operations, Applied Math I, and Applied Math II) to 7th and 8th grade students from low-income backgrounds.

1995-1997: Columbia University, New York, New York.Preceptor of Contemporary CivilizationTaught “Contemporary Civilization,” a two-semester overview and discussion of famous works in world history. Texts included: Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Ethics and Politics, Machiavelli’s The Prince, Hobbes’ Leviathan, Locke’s Two Treatises on Government, Rousseau’s Social Contract, Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, and Freud’s Civilization and its Discontents.

1994-1997:Concordia College, Bronxville, New York.Adjunct Professor of American History Taught four history courses. Revised American History curriculum and created two new courses for it: American Ethnic History and American Women’s History (1995-1996). Composed “The American History Songbook” to facilitate student learning of concepts.

“Survey of American History,” a two-semester lecture course examining American political and social history from the Age of Exploration to the present. “Problems in American History,” a two semester upper level seminar involving historiographic discussion of issues in American social history. Issues include: relations between the colonists and Native Americans, immigration, the abolitionist movement, the origins of racial segregation, and the civil rights and women’s rights movements.“Western Civilization II,” European history from the sixteenth century to the present.

“Honors Course: American History through the Comics,” a course of my own creation, which I taught during the Fall 1995 semester. The course examined how comic strips have reflected popular attitudes about American society and politics throughout the twentieth century. Topics included: the treatment of German and Japanese citizens in America during the two World Wars, criminal justice during Prohibition and the Great Depression, isolationism during the 1920s and 1930s, the emergence of the atomic age after World War II, and concerns about juvenile delinquency and “youth culture” during the postwar years.

Autumn 1993:Barnard College, New York, New York. Teaching Assistant: Assisted Professor David Farber in his course, “America in the 1960s.” Gave a lecture on the development of the civil rights movement from the late 1960s through the 1970s. Incorporated videotaped speeches of African American leaders into the presentation. Led a student discussion on how the movement’s core issues evolved and changed during that period.

Autumn 1991-Spring 1993:The American University, Washington, D.C. Graduate Teaching FellowCourses Assisted: “Historians and the Living Past,” Professors Allan Lichtman and Valerie French.Created a manual, “How to Construct Causal Models of Historical Events,” to help students understand the logic of historical explanation.

“Renaissance and Revolutions: Europe, 1400-1815,” Professor W. Scott Haine.Led discussions on the works of Machiavelli, Voltaire, Madame de Lafayette, Locke, and other authors of the period, placing the works in their political and social contexts.

“Social Forces That Shaped America,” Professor Michael Kazin.Gave an earlier version of my lecture and presentation on the civil rights movement.

AWARDS AND HONORS

Pace University Kenan Award for Teaching Excellence for the Academic Year 2012-2013

Nominated for and included in Who’s Who, 2008

Faculty Honoree, Annual Induction Ceremony of Pace University Future Educators Association (student recognition for outstanding faculty teaching), May 2008

Received Tenure at Pace University, 2005.

Leadership Alliance Irene Diamond Predoctoral/Dissertation Fellowship, 1997.

Dissertation Merit Fellowship, Columbia University, 1997.

Grant-in-Aid from the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, 1996.

Named American University Distinguished Scholar of Multicultural Affairs, 1993. Elected to Phi Alpha Theta, Honor Society in History, 1993.Elected to Phi Kappa Phi, Academic Honor Society, 1993.

Dean’s Scholarship and Graduate Teaching Fellowship, The American University, 1991-1993.

Graduated summa cum laude from Columbia College of Columbia University, 1990

Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Academic Honor Society, 1990.

Joseph Pulitzer Scholarship, Columbia University, 1986-1990.

PUBLICATIONS

Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Articles

“From Hyde Park to Harlem: The Emergence of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Black Constituency in New York City,” in Afro-Americans in New York Life and History (Vol. 37 No. 1, January 2013.) Article: 67 pages. Journal: over 180 pages.

“The New Negro and New York Politics, 1898-1933,” in Afro-Americans in New York Life and History (Vol. 35 No. 1, January 2011.) Article: 40 pages. Journal: over 132 pages.

“Bill-O and the Fox: Linkage and Leverage in Postwar Harlem Politics, 1945-1950,” in Afro-Americans in New York Life and History, Vol. 27, No. 2, July 2003. Article: 20 pages. Journal: over 135 pages.

“The Men Who Make the Guns: Comic Strips, War Profiteers and the Munitions Industry, 1924-1945,” in The Mid-Atlantic Almanack: Journal of the Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association, November 2000. Article: 15 pages. Journal: 148 pages.

Research in Progress

"“Drawn to a Cause: Government, the Cartoon Industry, and the Public Health of America’s Youth.”" (On-Going)This book-length scholarly manuscript, a proposal for which I am preparing for State University of New York Press, explores how national and local political leaders in the United States have partnered with the cartoon industry (via comic strips, comic books, animation, and other media), to publicize and advance initiatives concerning the public health of young people over the past century. The public health concerns to be discussed include polio, physical fitness, drug abuse, and gun violence.

"“Publicizing the Fight: The Struggle against Infantile Paralysis in American World’s Fairs and Popular Culture, 1933-1955”" (Writing Results)This is a scholarly article that I am preparing for submission to the peer-reviewed

academic journal, The Long Island History Journal. This article is about how Long Island, New York had a special role in the struggle against polio. It was the location of crucial people and institutions that conducted research against the disease. Moreover, it was the location from which originated various media, ranging from comic strips and comic books to World's Fair exhibits, that encouraged young audiences to contribute to the fundraising campaign against polio. An understanding of Long Island's role in this story also illuminates how American views about people who had polio evolved throughout the early 20th century.

"“Thy Servant Franklin: How the Hudson Valley shaped the Faith of Franklin D. Roosevelt.”" (Writing Results)Academic article being prepared for submission in the scholarly, peer-reviewed academic journal, the Hudson River Valley Review. The article discusses how FDR's religious upbringing and church involvement in the Hudson River valley town of Hyde Park, New York shaped his approach to "civil religion" when he led the nation as President.

Scholarly Book Reviews

Review of Willie K. Vanderbilt II: A Biography, by Steven H. Gittelman, in The Long Island History Journal, Vol. 23, No.1, 2012.

Review of Jones Beach: An Illustrated History, by John Hanc , in The Nassau County Historical Society Journal, Vol. 63, 2008.

Review of African Americans in Northport: An Untold Story, by Thelma Jackson, in The Long Island Historical Journal, Vol. 17, Nos. 1-2, Fall 2004/Spring 2005.

Review of Mr. Truman’s War: The Final Victories of World War II and the Birth of the Postwar World, by J. Robert Moskin, in Columbia Magazine, Fall 1996.

Reference Work Articles

Author of article on African-American sociologist St. Clair Drake (who examined urbanization and race relations in Chicago, and analyzed the relationship between slavery ,skin-color prejudice, and racism in modern history) for The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Second Edition, 1986-1990 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1999)

Author of over twenty articles in the Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History (5 vols. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1996).

Sample Articles Authored:“Congressional Black Caucus”-Organization of Black Americans in the United States Congress; “Jones, J. Raymond”- Harlem politician; “Lampkin, Daisy”- NAACP leader “Mitchell, Arthur ”-Chicago Congressman; “Sutton, Percy” - Harlem politician

Editorial and Consulting Positions

Guest Co-Editor, Afro-Americans in New York Life and History (Vol. 37 No. 1, January 2013.)

Contributing Editor, Afro-Americans in New York Life and History 2008-Present

Historical Consultant for Kids Discover magazine, Vol.16, Issue 4, the issue devoted to exploring “The Great Depression,”. I added material discussing Eleanor Roosevelt’s efforts for the socially marginalized, and how Dr. Francis Townsend’s criticism of the New Deal helped lead to the creation of Social Security. I also contributed to the issue’s discussion of how popular entertainment reflected and addressed the feelings of the nation during the Depression years. April 2006.

Published Newspaper Articles

November 2004The Journal News, Westchester County, New YorkPublished an article about the legacy of World War I and the parallels between that era and our own post-9/11 world. The article appeared in The Journal News, the local newspaper of Westchester County, New York, on Veterans Day, November 11, 2004.

July 2004The Journal News, Westchester County, New YorkPublished an article examining the social roots of urban violence, comparing Paris during the French Revolution with New York City during the Civil War draft riots. The article appeared in The Journal News, the local newspaper of Westchester County, New York, on Bastille Day, July 14, 2004.

July 2002The Journal News, Westchester County, New YorkPublished an article on the historical significance of the second of July in the story of American independence and why it has been overshadowed by the fourth of July. The article appeared in The Journal News, the local newspaper of Westchester County, New York, on July 2, 2002.

SCHOLARLY RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

New York State Historical Association, June 2011 “From Hyde Park to Harlem: The Emergence of FDR’s Black Constituency in New York City,” a study of the political relationship between black New Yorkers and the FDR administration as it evolved through the Depression, the New Deal, and World War II.

New York State Political Science Association, April 2009“From Hyde Park to Harlem: The Emergence of FDR’s Black Constituency in New York City,” a study of the political relationship between black New Yorkers and the FDR administration as it evolved through the Depression, the New Deal, and World War II.

Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association, November 2007 “Money, Munitions, and the Media: The Weapons Industry and American Culture, 1945-1961,” a study of how American attitudes about the postwar weapons industry and what would become known as the “military-industrial complex” were reflected in the television programs, motion pictures, and comic strips of the early Cold War era.

Siena Research Institute, Loudonville, New York: Conference on World War II, June 2003“War Without, War Within: America’s Struggle With Wartime Racism, 1943,” a comparative study of the race riots in Detroit and Harlem, contrasting how the mayors of each city dealt with the riots, and discussing why President Franklin D. Roosevelt did not deal with race relations issues more directly or aggressively during the war. Paper was derived from my dissertation research.

City University of New York Graduate Center, midtown Manhattan, New York, April 2003Presented research on a panel concerning "Recent Historical Scholarship on Harlem," sponsored by the Gotham Center for New York City History. My presentation, derived from my dissertation research, was entitled, "Harlem Learns the Game: Electoral Politics and Community Strategy in the FDR Era."

Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association, November 1999, November 2000.“The Men Who Make the Guns: Comic Strips, War Profiteers, and the Munitions Industry, 1924-1945, “ a study of how American attitudes toward munitions makers changed and were reflected in the comic strips of the era.

Columbia University 1996 Graduate Student Conference on Freedom in American History.“The Road to Black Empowerment,” a study of New Deal electoral politics in Harlem, New York, 1929-1945.

Mid-Atlantic Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference, United States Naval Academy, 1993. “African-American Political Migration During the New Deal Era,” a comparative case study of the black political experience in Cleveland and Detroit between 1920 and 1940. Won Honorable Mention

.National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1992.“African-American Political Migration During the New Deal Era,” a comparative case study of the black political experience in Cleveland and Detroit between 1920 and 1940 Research sponsored by a Smithsonian Minority Internship, Summer 1992.

INVITED SCHOLARLY TALKS ARRANGED THROUGH THE NEW YORK COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES

July 2013New York State Museum, Albany, New YorkGave lecture entitled, “Race, Class, and Violence: The New York Draft Riots of 1863” to commemorate the 150th anniversary week of the New York Draft Riots.

June 2013Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation--SponsorNew York University--Event LocationManhattan, New YorkGave lecture entitled, “Race, Class, and Violence: The New York Draft Riots of 1863” as part of the Society’s 150th Anniversary commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation.

April 2013King Manor Museum--SponsorSt. John’s University--Event LocationQueens, New YorkGave lecture entitled, “Race, Class, and Violence: The New York Draft Riots of 1863” as part of the New York Council for the Humanities “Speakers in the Humanities” Program.

March 2012SUNY Orange, Middletown, New YorkGave lecture entitled, “Race, Class, and Violence: The New York Draft Riots of 1863” as part of the New York Council for the Humanities “Speakers in the Humanities” Program.

October 2011Southeast Museum, Brewster, New YorkGave lecture entitled, “Race, Class, and Violence: The New York Draft Riots of 1863” as part of the New York Council for the Humanities “Speakers in the Humanities” Program.

TELEVISION

Productions of Own Program

December 2006-PresentWhite Plains Cable Television, Westchester County, New YorkTelevision Series Creator, Producer, Scripter, and Host of “Stories in Time, with Durahn Taylor”

In December 2006 I created and launched my own history television program, which is broadcast on public-access cable television in White Plains, New York (Channel 76). The program deals with a different event in history on each episode, dramatizing it with reenactments, music, and other presentations, bringing to life not just the historical story itself, but also the relevant contemporary lessons that a viewer can learn from it.

Episodes of “Stories in Time with Durahn Taylor” with descriptions:

Episode 1: December 2006 --“Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: Serving ‘The Least of These’ an examination of the private struggles of both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and how those struggles inspired each of them to devote their careers to helping other sufferers throughout the world.

Episode 2: February 2007-- “Bad Housebuilding: Riots, Race, and the People of New York” a look at how the Civil War, the Great Depression, and World War II exposed faults in New York City’s social structure, leading to the Draft Riots of 1863 and the Harlem Riots of 1935 and 1943. http://wpcommunitymedia.org/community/stories-in-time#!mm-64745

Episodes 3 and 4: March 2007 --“Stories in Art: A Conversation with Artist and Educator Robin J. Miller,” a two-part interview with an educator whose works of visual art depict the history of the African-American experience.

Episode 5: April 2007 --“Blessing the Children: A Talk with David Rose of the March of Dimes” an interview with the March of Dimes’ archivist, exploring the history of the organization’s victories over polio and other diseases. http://wpcommunitymedia.org/community/stories-in-time#!mm-64744

Episode 6: June 2007-- “Nothing New Under the Sun: The Legacy of World War I” a comparison between the challenges Americans faced during the World War I era and the challenges Americans face in the post-9/11 era. Included is a dramatic look at the arms race that took place before and during World War I, and at the terrifying new weapons that were developed as a result.

Episode 7: February 2008-- “Stones that the Builders Rejected: Harry Truman, African-Americans, and the 1948 Election” an analysis of how and why President Harry Truman adopted an aggressive civil rights program before and during the election of 1948, and how that helped bring about his surprise electoral victory that year. This episode argues that in order for electoral politics to be useful for marginalized groups, politicians need to take more risks and offer something to marginalized citizens, and those citizens in turn need to have something to offer to the politicians.

Episode 8: April 2008 -- “Knowing our Neighbors--a Talk with Ja’Nell Nequeva” --an interview with a White Plains photographer about her travels through Africa, exploring how the impressions that Africans have of United States residents can often be just as mistaken as the impressions that Americans may have about residents of Africa. Through travel, photography, and other means of getting to see each other as we really are, the photographer explained how residents of both continents can get to understand each other better, as citizens of a wider community of neighbors across the globe.

Episode 9: November 2008 --“Don’t Panic: Fear, Faith, and America’s Financial History” an analysis of the emotional and psychological underpinnings of financial downturns, exploring how these factors helped lead to the Great Depression of the 1930s, and exploring how faith was a crucial factor in the recovery from the Depression. This episode also applies the lessons of the Depression era to the post-2008 economic recession.

Episodes 10 and 11: February 2009 --”Show me the Coin: Black History and the Presidency: A Two-Sided Legacy,” a two-part examination of how some of our most famous Presidents had both positive and negative sides to their legacies where black people were concerned, and how the limits of Presidential power ought to temper the expectations that some people now have of the Obama Administration.

Episode 12: February 2010 --“What Next? The Reinvention of the March of Dimes” a follow-up interview with the March of Dimes’ archivist, exploring how the organization reinvented itself following the development of the polio vaccine, to become a leading agency in the fight against birth defects.

Episodes 13 and 14: June 2015—“Early Generations and First Steps, A Talk with Ja’nell Ajani” A two-part interview with a professor of mass communication and society about the struggles encountered by members of under-represented groups in higher education, both as students and later on as higher education professionals. http://wpcommunitymedia.org/community/stories-in-time#!mm-64746

“Quick Stories in Time” Episodes:

“Quick Stories in Time: Black History Month” February 2012-- a series of brief episodes of the program, co-hosted with Dinetta Sprolling, a Pace University graduate pursuing her Master’s Degree in Urban Studies, examining various items in everyday life that were invented by African-Americans. These episodes were created and broadcast to celebrate Black History Month.http://wpcommunitymedia.org/community/stories-in-time#!mm-3820 http://wpcommunitymedia.org/community/stories-in-time#!mm-3822 http://wpcommunitymedia.org/community/stories-in-time#!mm-3821

Guest Appearances on Other Programs

February 2015RNN Regional News Network, Rye Brook, NYIn a special Presidents Day television broadcast entitled, “The First 44,” I appeared as a member of a panel of experts in Presidential history. I discussed the political concerns surrounding Presidential

military decisions in the decades since the Vietnam conflict, the portrayal of Presidents in recent motion pictures and television documentaries, and the potential legacies of the Obama Administration.

The YouTube links to segments of my RNN appearance are listed as follows:

Block A - http://youtu.be/WZxS7OG4xhk

Block B - http://youtu.be/zkt7kR1fGro

Block C - http://youtu.be/zvuizO1XI88

Block D - http://youtu.be/iu1JRzF-OOE

Block E - http://youtu.be/AfiiaztE2L8

Block F - http://youtu.be/dRr2dLrgk1E

March 2006MetroStudios Request Television, Manhattan, New York Appeared on a local internet-broadcasted television program in Manhattan entitled, “The New Yorkers,” hosted by James Chladek and John V. Barbieri. MetroStudios’ programming focuses on addressing the issues facing immigrant communities. On the “New Yorkers” program I discussed how issues of economic opportunity for immigrant communities influenced such positive events as the founding of Pace University in 1906, as well as such negative events as the New York City Draft Riots of 1863.

June 2003White Plains Cable Television, Westchester County, New YorkAppeared on local cable television program in White Plains entitled, “Community Connections,” hosted by Lorraine Buonocunto of the Greater White Plains Council of Community Services, Inc. On the program I discussed the history of the relationship between immigrant ethnic groups and political party machines in New York City.

RADIO

February-October 1996:Radio Station WLIB, 1190 AM, New York, New YorkGuest on “House Calls” radio program with Dr. Gerald W. Deas.Publicized the Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History during Black History Month (February 1996), and urged listeners, particularly those who belonged to ethnic minority groups, to vote during the 1996 election season (October 1996).

PUBLISHED NEWSPAPER APPEARANCES

July 2002The Journal News, Westchester County, New YorkAppeared with my “American Experience” class at Pace University in a special story concerning “A Day in the Life of Pleasantville,” published in The Journal News on July 23, 2002.

LOCAL COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

1994-2000Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Harlem, New YorkGrade School Tutor and Adult Class Teacher.

Trained preteen children of single-parent households, some of whom had drug-addicted or AIDS-infected parents, in basic spelling, writing, and math skills.

Led adult classes that discuss the importance of studying African-American history, the role of education in the Harlem community, and the improvement of city services in local neighborhoods.

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

July 2010-PresentLicensed New York City Sight-Seeing Guide, New York City Department of Consumer Affairs

MEMBERSHIPS

Team of Contributing Editors, Afro-Americans in New York Life and HistoryAmerican Historical AssociationAmerican Association of University Professors

REFERENCESAvailable upon request

WEBSITEwww.studiesintime.com