James N. (James Noble) Gregory

A historian at the University of Washington, he has focused much of his work on migration, labor, race, and political movements in the United States. He has served as a professor of history and has also been associated with labor studies and demography there.

His best-known books include The Southern Diaspora: How the Great Migrations of Black and White Southerners Transformed America and American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California. Across this work, he explores how ordinary people, especially migrants and workers, helped transform American society.

He has also directed public history and digital history projects, including labor and civil rights initiatives connected with the University of Washington. That mix of scholarship and public-facing work gives his writing a broad, accessible feel while staying grounded in serious historical research.