George Derek Musgrove

George Derek Musgrove is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). His scholarship focuses on African American politics, racial dynamics, and urban history in post-WWII America, particularly in Washington, D.C.

His publications include Rumor, Repression, and Racial Politics (2012), which examines the harassment of Black elected officials, and Chocolate City, A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital (2017), co-authored with Chris Myers Asch. He also launched a web-based map project (2021) documenting Black Power activism in D.C. between 1961 and 1998. His work has been featured in the Washington Post, National Public Radio, the New York Times, and The Root.

Currently, he is researching the resurgence of Black Power activism in response to urban crises and conservative policies in the 1980s–90s. He holds a Ph.D. from New York University (2005) and resides in Washington, D.C., with his family.