معرفی
William Billups is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Florida, researching race, ethnicity, and violence in twentieth-century America with focus on civil rights movement dynamics and anti-civil rights terrorism.
His educational background includes:
- PhD in History from Emory University (2024)
Billups specializes in post-World War II racial politics and violence, particularly anti-civil rights terrorism as a national phenomenon with international dimensions. His book project ‘Reign of Terror’ analyzes nearly one thousand arsons and bombings against civil rights activists, demonstrating how segregationist tactics influenced global far-right extremists and contributed to the federalization of US policing. His work bridges historical analysis with digital methodology to uncover systemic patterns of violence.
His recent publications examine intersections of gender, religion, and economic resistance within white supremacist violence during the civil rights era, highlighting martyrdom narratives and community resilience through case studies like Koinonia Farm. These works reveal how violence targeted both individuals and institutions to suppress civil rights advancements.
Billups' research has secured significant support from leading institutions across the United States:
- Ambrose Monell Foundation
- Baylor University’s Texas Collection and Wardlaw Fellowship Fund
- Bentley Historical Library
- Duke University’s John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture
- Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation
- Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives
- Jefferson Scholars Foundation
- John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
- LBJ Foundation
- Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives
- University of Alabama’s Frances J. Summersell Center for the Study of the South
- University of North Texas Libraries
- University of Oklahoma’s Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center
- Emory University’s Bill & Carol Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry
- Emory University’s Center for Digital Scholarship
- Emory University’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies
He directs the digital project ‘Dynamiting Houses of God,’ which documents white supremacist violence against US houses of worship from the 1950s-1970s, demonstrating his commitment to public history and digital humanities methodologies for preserving civil rights era trauma narratives.
