Truly a giant gone:
Roy S. Bryce-Laporte, Who Led Black Studies at Yale, Dies at 78
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
New York Times August 8, 2012
Roy S. Bryce-Laporte, a sociologist who led one of the nation’s first African-American studies departments, at Yale University, and did research that advanced understanding of blacks who came to the United States voluntarily rather than as slaves, died on July 31 in Sykesville, Md. He was 78.
With a very first draft of Kwame Kwei-Armah’s world premiere play Beneatha’s Place just landing in our inboxes, this news resonated powerfully; the path forged by Bryce-Laporte echoes loudly in the life and work of titular Beneatha (yes, the character originally brought to life in Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun) and many elements of this new work. So, with us all, stay tuned.
