Derrick Brooms holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Loyola University Chicago specializing in race relations, identity, representation, and culture. As an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, and then a Masters student at Clark Atlanta University, he studied African and African American Studies with an emphasis on history and culture. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Prairie State College and is a faculty affiliate for the African American Male Initiative Program, which is geared toward improving the academic achievement and retention of African American male students. Prior to Prairie State, he served on the design team and worked as a teacher / administrator at Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men—an all-boys charter school located in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood.
Brooms’ research investigates representations of African American identity and culture within the media. His two recent publications include examining how slavery is represented in African American museums and how black-centered museums use Africa to legitimate African American identity. He is currently working on a book-length manuscript that investigates African American representations in museums. Additionally, his research focuses on African American boys and men, specifically examining their educational experiences and identity development.
Currently, Brooms is an active member of several professional organizations; he is on the annual conference committee and student paper committee for the Association of Black Sociologists, he is a member of the Teaching and Learning Committee for the Midwest Sociological Society, and he is a Member-At-Large of the Illinois Sociological Association. He has a wide-range of speaking experiences having presented his research at Sociology and African American Studies conferences and he has been invited to lecture at various colleges and universities. Brooms has lectured at various locations including an NAACP state convention, Black History events, and diversity initiatives on a diverse range of subjects that have included youth violence, the importance and value of education, representations of black masculinity, and the Black Power Era.
