Ronda Racha Penrice

AfhistFDRonda Racha Penrice’s first book, African American History for Dummies is the culmination of a lifelong interest in African American history and culture. For over 12 years, she’s worked as both a writer and editor for mostly African American-interest publications covering everything from arts & entertainment (television, film and music) to lifestyle issues ranging from food and travel to health and fitness. Her work has appeared in Rap Pages (now defunct), The Source, Vibe, Vibe.com, Creative Loafing, Essence, Essence.com, Honey (defunct urban magazine for women), Turning Point (California-based small business magazine for African Americans), Urban Network (Urban music trade publication), Jewel (magazine catering to young, urban women) and AOL’s Blackvoices.com, among others. Publications that regularly feature her work now include Uptown (a super-regional quarterly catering to upscale African Americans in NY, Chicago, DC and Atlanta), OverTime (bi-monthly publication targeting retired athletes) and NiaOnline (health & wellness online publication for African American women). A Chicago native (with strong Mississippi roots), Penrice began her writing career as a reviewer and later Contributing Editor for The Quarterly Black Review of Books. In addition, she worked as a film publicist for the Los Angeles-based Roz Stevenson Public Relations (RSPR), which specializes in publicizing films to an African American audience. Films she worked on include Bring It On, How High and The Fast and the Furious. Penrice, a Columbia University graduate who also attended the University of Mississippi’s M.A. program in Southern Studies, resides in Atlanta, Georgia.