After his parents immigrated to the United States from Jamaica in the late 1960s, Juan Floyd-Thomas was born and raised in northern New Jersey. After completing a B.A. in world history from Rutgers University, Juan earned a M.A. in urban and social history at Temple University, and a Ph.D. in modern U.S. and African American history from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his specialization in U.S. and African American history since the Civil War, Juan’s research and teaching interests are focused upon intellectual, cultural, and religious history. Juan is presently involved in a number of research activities including an examination of Islamic influences in contemporary African American popular culture, an investigation of Rev. Leon Sullivan’s Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) Movement during the late 1960s, and a critical reevaluation of the Progressive movement of the early twentieth century. Most recently, Juan’s essay “The Burning of Rebellious Thoughts: MOVE as Revolutionary Black Humanism” was published in The Black Scholar (Spring 2002). He has also written encyclopedia articles and book reviews on topics such as African American religion, social reform movements, and the Harlem Renaissance. He is currently working on a book manuscript exploring the intersection of black religion, cultural nationalism, and radical politics in Harlem, New York from 1895 to 1965. Before coming to TCU, Juan taught in the History department at Virginia Tech for 3 years.

Juan is married to Stacey Floyd-Thomas, who is a native Texan as well as a professor of Christian and Social Ethics “across the street” at Brite Divinity School. In his spare time, he likes movies, music, art, travel, literature, and gourmet cuisine.