Writing the Difficult Obituary

 

Dr. Quintard Taylor, died September 26, 2025, in Houston, Texas. He was 76 years old.

Johnny D. Boggs, editor-in-chief of Roundup asked me to write a tribute for publication in the magazine. It was hard for me to do because of my admiration of Dr. Taylor. He was simply the finest historian I've ever known.

His friends and colleagues used old familiar words to describe their grief over Taylor’s passing. “It is with heavy heart,” and “with profound sadness we announce the death of this extraordinary man.” Yet, words are not sufficient to describe the impact this one individual had on our knowledge of black history.

The Washington Post described his landmark publication, In Search of the Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West 1528-1990 as “an enthralling work that will be essential reading for years to come.” This ambitious book discussed the largely forgotten role of blacks in the West including their contributions to everything from the Brown vs. Board of Education desegregation ruling to the rise of the Black Panther Party"

Another editor stated that “Quintard Taylor fills a major void in American history and reminds us that the African American experience is unlimited by region or social status.”

With the publication of The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle’s Central District From 1870 Through the Civil Rights Era Taylor asserted that Seattle was a microcosm of the political progress of black communities. Lola Peters, operational coordinator for The Emerald, said, “Not only was this book a master class in history, it was also a master class in storytelling. The Forging of a Black Community was written for ordinary folks. It is the most exquisite example of "show, don't tell." The stories in the book show the interlaced strength and endurance of our local Black communities while exposing the fissures. It's an intellectually rigorous work of love.”

Yet, despite Taylor’s groundbreaking publications, his ultimate contribution to history was the creation of BlackPast.org., the world’s largest on-line encyclopedia. His goal was to create a global website that captured every bit of information about Africans.

In 2023, 6.5 million people visited the website. There are now nearly 1,000 content contributors including academic historians from colleges and universities from across the nation as well as graduate and undergraduate students, and independent historians from six continents. These contributors have written over 7,200 entries with new information being regularly added.

In addition to his academic reputation, his friends and colleagues praised his work ethic and his humility.

Taylor promised that through the creation of BlackPast, black history would never be erased.

He can rest in peace.