*Historian Kerri Greenidge is facing mounting professional fallout over her 2022 book “The Grimkes.”
The work explores the influential South Carolina family whose wealth was built on slavery before later generations became associated with the abolitionist movement. The book received positive reviews upon its release and earned the American Historical Association’s Joan Kelly Memorial Prize.
However, criticism of the book’s scholarship has intensified. According to the New York Post, in a 2024 analysis, retired Elmira College American history professor Myra Glenn argued that “The Grimkes” failed to meet expected academic standards. Glenn wrote that Greenidge “all too often lacks the evidence to substantiate many of her major claims.” She also contended that “her work is also riddled with factual errors and repeatedly omits needed endnotes.”
Greenidge rejected claims that she fabricated material but acknowledged that some citations may have been incorrect. “Are there citations that were misattributed? Probably,” she said.
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Greenidge also said she believes the criticism reflects a broader issue within academia.
“I am heartbroken that a field I have given my life to can treat me this way,” she told The New York Times. “The attack on Black women academics is real.”
The controversy has coincided with several professional developments. “The Grimkes” no longer appears on Greenidge’s author page on her publisher’s website, and the book’s Joan Kelly Memorial Prize recognition has been removed from the American Historical Association’s homepage. In addition, a Tufts University spokesperson confirmed to The New York Times that Greenidge is no longer employed with the university, although no reason for her departure was provided.
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