Marcus James is a Miami-based historian and educator whose research focuses on African diaspora culture and civic movements in the 20th century. He holds a doctorate in history from Florida International University and has published essays in The Journal of Southern History and Smithsonian Magazine. His first book, Marching Toward Freedom: Black Miami and the Long Civil Rights Movement, received the 2024 Florida Humanities Award for Excellence. He currently teaches at Miami Dade College and curates the Freedom Stories oral history archive.