Tyran K. Steward

Tyran K. Steward is an Assistant Professor of History at Williams College, specializing in African-American and Modern U.S. History. His research intersects political, labor, and social history with analyses of popular culture and sport, particularly focusing on racial dynamics in the North during the early twentieth century and the American Interwar Period.

Education:

• B.A., Morehouse College (2000)
• M.A., Eastern Michigan University (2009)
• Ph.D., Ohio State University (2013)

Steward’s forthcoming book, The Benching of Willis Ward, examines the 1934 racist benching of a Black football player at the University of Michigan, using this incident to trace the emergence of black conservatism and northern Jim Crow structures. His work highlights how sports serve as critical sites for racial hierarchy and political reimagining.

His publications include analyses of racial liberalism in academia, Black women's citizenship struggles, and reviews of seminal works in African-American Studies. Steward has advised senior theses on topics like reparations and Black internationalism, and previously held a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at Carleton College.