Martha Biondi

Martha Biondi is the Lorraine H. Morton Professor of Black Studies and Professor of History at Northwestern University. She holds dual appointments in the Department of Black Studies and the History Department. Her research focuses on 20th-century African American history, emphasizing social movements, politics, labor, gender, urban dynamics, and international affairs. She directs graduate studies in Black Studies.

Education:

• Ph.D. in History, Columbia University
• M.A. in History, Columbia University
• B.A. in History, Barnard College (Columbia University)

Research Interests: Biondi examines how Black students reshaped higher education through campus protests (1960s-70s), linking their activism to broader struggles for academic recognition and social justice. She analyzes intersections of race, gender, and labor in urban contexts, with a focus on transnational solidarity movements. Current work explores Chicago-based anti-apartheid organizer Prexy Nesbitt's global activism.

Awards & Recognition:

• 2012 National Book Award for The Black Revolution on Campus
• 2013 Wesley-Logan Prize
• 2004 Myers Outstanding Book Award
• 2003 Thomas J. Wilson Prize

Teaching & Leadership: Teaches courses on African American history, Black liberation movements, and historiography. Leads graduate training in Black Studies methodology. Office hours held via Zoom and in-person at Crowe Hall.

Upcoming Work: A forthcoming book We Are Internationalists: Prexy Nesbitt and the Fight for African Liberation (2025) traces transnational solidarity networks against apartheid and imperialism.