RE Log Spring 2019

32 Ransom Everglades LOG SPRING 2019 Christina Proenza-Coles ’88 developed an interest in the complexi- ties of race and ethnicity in the Americas during a child- hood spent in what she calls “the Southern, Caribbean, and Latin kaleidoscope of Miami,” as well as summers in the American South, the Bahamas and Cuba. Intrigued by the intersections of these South Atlantic cultures, Proenza-Coles pursued her growing passion through a dual doctor- ate in sociology and history. During her years as an assistant professor of the African Diaspora and the Atlantic World at Virginia State University from 2004 to 2011, the foundation of her new book, American Founders: How People of African Descent Established Freedom in the New World (NewSouth Books), came into focus. “I came to this project while teach- ing world history, U.S. history, Latin American history and Atlantic World history at VSU,” she said. “In the course of my research, I kept coming across examples of Americans of African de- scent who fundamentally shaped history, undermined the standard narratives of slavery and, ultimately, revealed a deeper understanding of American democracy.” American Founders describes the criti- cal and multifaceted roles that people of African descent have played in the establishment, defense and development of the Americas, beginning with their arrival on Columbus’s ships. However, Proenza-Coles points out, American Founders was not written for a spe- cialized reader. “This is a history of all Americans because all of our heritage is fundamentally entwined, African and European, slave and free, Anglo and Latin,” she said. “Multiculturalism is not a contemporary artifact of political correctness; it is the demographic real- ity of the founding and development of America.” Added Proenza-Coles: “What’s exciting about these stories is how they con- nect us all together. It’s personal, not academic, the drive to learn more about our shared history, our shared American identity.” Proenza-Coles’s personal connection to Ransom Everglades began with her mother, Kitty Proenza, who taught English for 40 years and is now a faculty emeritus. “As a child I spent many after- noons watching afterschool events on the Main Highway campus after I finished my day at St. Stephen’s Elementary down the street,” Proenza-Coles said. When she joined the RE community as a student, she recalls being inspired by faculty members including Dan Leslie Bowden, Marian Turk, Jane Dolkart and Mike Stokes, among others. “I ended up in the humanities and social sciences, but I was equally inspired by Mrs. Lester’s and Dr. Crabtree’s science classes, which also revealed life’s interconnections,” she said. Proenza-Coles credits her Ransom Everglades education for playing a major role in the making of American Founders . Her teachers taught her to think critically and look beyond the surface in textual analysis. They laid the foundation for the wide-ranging course of study that would lead to the book. “My Ransom Everglades roots were formative,” Proenza-Coles said. “The passion and engagement of my teachers and peers at RE encouraged curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.” American Founders RE alumna explores African influence on American history in new book