With ‘Chocolate Cities,’ Marcus Hunter seeks to incite new understanding of the history of black life in America.

As another Black History Month draws to a close, it is important to remember that when it comes to critical race theory — research and practices that demand a constant reckoning with systems of inequality and power in America — the beat decidedly goes on. And one of the most creative drummers of that beat happens to be UCLA’s own Marcus Hunter, professor of sociology and chair of the African American studies department.

Hunter’s most recent book, “Chocolate Cities: The Black Map of American Life,” co-written with Zandria F. Robinson, a professor of sociology and anthropology at Rhodes College, is a deep and complex examination of often misperceived factors and facets of black life in the United States. From Central District Seattle to Harlem to Holly Springs, black people have built a dynamic network of cities and towns where black culture is maintained, created and defended. Chocolate Cities offers a new “black map” that more accurately reflects the lived experiences and the future of black life in America.

Read more about the process of creating the book, and Hunter’s own thoughts on its creation, here at the UCLA Newsroom!

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/with-chocolate-cities-professor-seeks-to-incite-new-understanding-of-black-life-in-america