On the Spot: Vincent Brown
‘History unfolds in discernible but unpredictable patterns.’
Why are you a historian of slavery?
I found my calling when I heard Bob Marley sing about black people: ‘We’re the survivors, like Daniel out of the lion’s den.’
What’s the most important lesson history has taught you?
How it unfolds in discernible but unpredictable patterns.
Which history book has had the greatest influence on you?
C.L.R. James’ The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution.
What book in your field should everyone read?
Stephanie E. Smallwood, Saltwater Slavery: A Middle Passage from Africa to American Diaspora.
Which moment would you most like to go back to?
Back to any future free of war, exploitation and indignity.
Which historian has had the greatest influence on you?
David Barry Gaspar, Steven Hahn and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich each helped me cultivate my interests, hone my skills and find my voice in indispensable ways.
Which person in history would you most like to have met?
Paul Robeson.
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