A prominent Black historian, Kerri Greenidge, has asserted that the scrutiny of her acclaimed book on slavery and her subsequent loss of a tenured professorship are rooted in racism. Greenidge's 2022 book, 'The Grimkes,' which focused on the enslaved individuals owned by a South Carolina slaveholding family, initially garnered significant praise and awards.
However, after its publication, several historians raised concerns about the accuracy and evidentiary support for claims made in the book. Myra C. Glenn, a retired professor of American history, reviewed 'The Grimkes' for Johns Hopkins University Press in 2023, describing it as "deeply flawed" and noting that Greenidge "lacks the evidence to substantiate many of her major claims." Glenn also stated that the work contained factual errors and omitted necessary endnotes.
In response to these criticisms, Greenidge told The New York Times that the backlash against her work is part of a larger pattern of attacks on Black women in academia. "The attack on Black women academics is real," Greenidge stated.
Following the controversy, Greenidge lost her position as an associate professor in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora at Tufts University. A university spokesperson confirmed that the institution became aware of "multiple errors of fact and failed to give appropriate credit to the work of another" in Greenidge's book in December 2022. A peer review by external scholars identified these issues, leading Tufts to inform the publisher. Greenidge suggested that the university's peer review panel included historians hostile to Black women in academia and that the review was initiated by a complaint from a white woman, against whom she reportedly sought a restraining order.
Glenn's review specifically questioned the citation of letters between the Grimke sisters, which Greenidge claimed were held by the University of Michigan but were not found to be in the university's possession. The review also alleged that Greenidge misrepresented an 1838 attack on Pennsylvania Hall in Philadelphia. Greenidge had written that the church was attacked by an anti-abolitionist mob, and the Grimke sisters led enslaved people to safety from a burning building. However, Glenn cited sources indicating that no one was in the building when it was burned, as activists had cancelled a meeting due to fears of violence.
Greenidge denied plagiarizing or fabricating historical accounts but admitted that some citations might have been misattributed. "Are there citations that were misattributed? Probably," she told the Times.
In addition to losing her professorship, Greenidge reportedly also lost a book deal. The publisher, Liveright Publishing, removed 'The Grimkes' from its website.
