Jim Ralph

Jim Ralph is the Rehnquist Professor of American History and Culture at Middlebury College, where he has taught since 1989. He serves as Dean for Faculty Development and Research and directs the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Research. His expertise centers on American History, particularly the Civil Rights Movement and urban development, with a focus on Chicago and the Midwest.

He has authored major works including Northern Protest: Martin Luther King, Jr., Chicago, and the Civil Rights Movement (1993) and co-edited The Chicago Freedom Movement (2016). Current projects include a history of racial equality struggles in Peoria, Illinois. Ralph teaches courses on Chicago’s urban history, U.S. urban development, and interdisciplinary studies of Chicagoland.

Ralph’s research emphasizes the intersection of race, religion, and urban policy. His recent publications analyze Black church divisions in civil rights activism and the legacy of Operation Breadbasket. He actively contributes to academic discourse through forewords and edited volumes, bridging historical scholarship with contemporary urban challenges.