Bracey, Earnest N. 1953–

PERSONAL: Born June 8, 1953, in Jackson, MS; son of Willard M. and Odessa M. Bracey; married Huang Su Kim, 1980 (divorced, 1992); married; wife's name Atsuko; children: Dominique, Princess, Omar. Ethnicity: "Black American." Education: Jackson State University, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1974; Golden Gate University, M.P.A., 1979; Catholic University of America, M.A., 1983; George Mason University, D.P. A., 1993; Capella University, Ph.D., 1999; graduate of U.S. Naval War College and Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS. Politics: "Independent." Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Playing jazz trumpet.

ADDRESSES: Home—9416 Mountainair Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89134-6217. Office—Community College of Southern Nevada, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd., Ste. W2C, Las Vegas, NC 89146. E-mail—earnest_bracey@ccsn.nevada.edu.

CAREER: Writer. U.S. Army, career officer, including service as director of administration at Industrial College of the Armed Forces, retiring as lieutenant colonel; Community College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, professor of political science and African American history, 1995–. Hampton University, chair of political science and history, 2002–03.

MEMBER: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American Political Science Association, Midwest Political Science Association.

WRITINGS:

Choson (novel), 1994.

The Black Samurai (novel), 1998.

Prophetic Insights: The Higher Education and Pedagogy of African Americans, University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 1999.

(Coauthor) American Politics and Culture Wars: An Interactive Look at the Future, Kendall-Hunt, 2001.

Requiems for Black Folks (short stories), 2002.

On Racism: Essays on Black Popular Culture, African American Politics, and the New Black Aesthetics, University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 2003.

Daniel "Chappie" James: The First African-American Four-Star General, McFarland & Co. (Jefferson, NC), 2003.

Contributor to professional journals. Member of editorial board, Nevada Historical Society Quarterly.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A novel on black expatriates in Japan; research on blacks and civil rights and on "voodoo economics."

SIDELIGHTS: Earnest N. Bracey told CA: "Writing for me is like breathing, or existing. Therefore, I try to write a sentence or paragraph every day. I may later use these writings in my essays or novels. I find that this is a most effective way to get any writing done, especially eliminating what we know as 'writer's block.'

"Richard Wright, American Book Award winners the late Ralph Ellison and novelist Charles Johnson, as well as short-story writer James Alan McPherson and Ishmael Reed have greatly influenced my writing and my notion of what black writing should be.

"I firmly believe that black writers must write their own stories, or biographies and histories. If others write this history, it will never truly reflect the black artist's perspective or position."