Historian William Loren Katz, "who championed the marginalized," died October 25, History News Network reported. He was 92. Katz was the author of 40 American history books, including Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage; The Black West (a revised edition was published this year); The Lincoln Brigade: A Picture History; and Breaking the Chains: African-American Slave Resistance.
As the general editor, Katz also oversaw the publication of more than 200 edited volumes from The American Negro: History and Literature series and The Anti-Slavery Crusade in America series, published by the New York Times and Arno Press.
In a tribute, Alan Singer wrote that Katz "never separated his work as a historian from teaching and activism. He was especially proud of his anti-Apartheid activism in the 1980s, his work with WBAI-FM radio, and his support for Black Lives Matter. Bill co-authored a picture history about the Abraham Lincoln Brigade for young adult readers and was a strong supporter of their veteran organizations. He wrote books about Black Cowboys and Black Indians and advocated for the rights of indigenous people, which led to him receiving the White Dove Imani Peace Award from the White Dove-Imani-Rainbow Lodge of Ohio. Bill received a lifetime achievement award from the Institute of African American Affairs of New York University and in 2012, a National Underground Railroad to Freedom Award from the National Park Service."
The Zinn Education Project noted that "for nearly 70 years, William Loren Katz was a teacher and author of people's history books for middle and high school students.... His work earned widespread praise from noted scholars including Howard Zinn, John Hope Franklin, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alice Walker, Betty Shabazz, Ralph Bunche, James M. McPherson, and others."
In a memorial published by the Amsterdam News, Herb Boyd wrote: "While I mourn the passing of this esteemed historian, I gladly join the parade of praise now accumulating in publications and online all over the world as they remember a man who was tirelessly devoted to acknowledging the people and history that so often was neglected or simply ignored."