ABOUT BLACK LAND LOSSThe people behind preserving the story.
Meet the leadership team guiding the Black Land Loss Narrative Archive Project and its mission to collect, preserve, and amplify first-person accounts of Black land loss.
OUR LEADERSHIPPreserving history through people, storytelling and scholarship.
The Archive brings together historians, journalists, media professionals and nonprofit leaders committed to documenting Black land loss and preserving cultural memory.
LEADERSHIPAllyson Hobbs
BOARD CHAIR
Allyson Hobbs is an associate professor of U.S. History and the Kleinheinz Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. Her award-winning book, A Chosen Exile: A History of Racial Passing in American Life, explores racial passing and its human consequences across American history. It received the Organization of American Historians' Frederick Jackson Turner and Lawrence Levine prizes. A contributing writer to The New Yorker online and a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians, Hobbs brings a deep commitment to illuminating overlooked histories. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian.
LEADERSHIPGerald Rawles
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Gerald Rawles is a media executive, producer, and nonprofit leader with more than two decades of experience in film, television, and organizational management. As Executive Director of the Black Land Loss Narrative Archive Project, he leads a national effort to collect, preserve, and amplify first-person accounts of Black land loss. Having overseen more than 200 projects across documentary and digital platforms, he brings storytelling expertise and rigorous production practices to the Archive. Rawles leads its multi-year strategy to document more than 1,000 narratives in collaboration with scholars, journalists, and institutional partners. His work centers on preserving cultural memory, building lasting institutions, and advancing community-centered leadership.
LEADERSHIPDr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey
JOURNALIST-IN-RESIDENCE
Dr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey is the inaugural Journalist-in-Residence for the Black Land Loss Narrative Archive Project, documenting the stories and far-reaching impact of Black land loss across America. A political journalist and Pepperdine University professor, he brings a commitment to dialogue, democracy, and social change to his storytelling. Quartey serves as host and White House correspondent for A More Perfect Union, a radio show and podcast produced by Tavis Smiley and KBLA Talk 1580. His commentary has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, CBS News, and other national platforms. He is the author of Kamala, The Motherland, and Me and a graduate of the University of Southern California and Pepperdine University.
Help preserve the stories.
Share a family story, photograph, document, or resource with the Archive.