James Lance Taylor

Professor James Lance Taylor is a Full-Time Faculty member in the Department of Politics at the University of San Francisco. He previously chaired the Department of Politics (2012-2015) and served as President of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists (2009-2011). His research focuses on African American political history, religion and politics, race relations, and social movements. Taylor holds a PhD from the University of Southern California (USC), alongside an MA and BA from USC and Pepperdine University, respectively.

His notable works include the award-winning book Black Nationalism in the United States: From Malcolm X to Barack Obama (2011) and a forthcoming study on the Peoples Temple movement. Taylor has been a Visiting Associate Professor at Saint Louis University (Madrid) and UC Berkeley. He advises San Francisco’s Mayor’s Office and SFPD on community-police relations and regularly contributes to media outlets like NPR/KQED and ABC 7. Taylor’s interdisciplinary work bridges academia and public policy, addressing issues like Black Lives Matter, marijuana legalization, and anti-racist democracy.

• Key Appointments: Vice President of San Francisco Achievers Scholarship, Committee Member for SFPD Bias & Community Engagement
• Education: PhD (USC), MA (USC), BA (Pepperdine University)

Taylor’s expertise is sought by institutions such as the San Francisco Museum of the African Diaspora and universities like Stanford and Northwestern. His public lectures and media commentary highlight his dual focus on historical scholarship and contemporary social justice.