Dr. W. Gabriel Selassie I
Dr. W. Gabriel Selassie I an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at the California State University, Northridge . He holds a Ph.D. and Masters in history from the Claremont Graduate University, a Masters degree in theology at the University of Notre Dame, a Masters in African American studies at the University of California at Los Angeles, a Masters in Public History and Historic Preservation from the California State University at Dominguez Hills, a Bachelors of Architecture and Civil Engineering (5 year professional) from Prairie View A & M University of Texas (HBCU). He also holds a certificate in Democracy in Africa from University of Oxford, St. Antony’s College.
A historian of American history, African American & African Diasporic intellectual history and culture, Professor Selassie I’s research and writing spans intellectual, social and culture history, religion, third world protest movements, and popular culture (music and sports).
Professor Selassie I specializes in the intersection of Marcus Garvey (Garveyism), religion and race. His work particularly focuses on the ways in which the black community seeks avenues of cultural, religious and social expression. His first book an Introduction and Analysis of The Holy Piby by Shepherd Robert Athlyi Rogers (1924) is the first of its kind to explore the religious and cultural context of one of the premier Rastafari biblical texts. He has written extensively on the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) Negro Ritual and Negro Catechism and its inter-play with the genealogy of western thought. His work also looks at transcultural and transnational outcomes of race and racism particularly white supremacy.
Professor Selassie I also writes a popular blog “Niyabinghi Blues: Sorrow Songs of a Rastafari” https://thepeopleshistorian.com that features articles on race, culture and history. He also is co-editor and owner of HoopsPOP.com and HoopsPOP Radio that features podcasts, articles on the history and culture of the National Basketball Association, films, and other cultural significant issues. Professor Selassie I writes under the name Jah Hoops.
