William Loren Katz

William Loren Katz (June 2, 1927 – October 25, 2019) was an American teacher, historian and author of 40 books on African-American history, including a number of titles for young adult readers. He was particularly noted for his research and writing on the 500-year history of relations between African Americans and Native Americans. His books include Breaking the Chains: African American Slave Resistance, The Black West, and Black Women of the Old West.

Biography Born in New York City, Katz was the son of Ben (a researcher) and Madeline (née Simon) Katz. After graduating high school in 1944, Katz joined the Navy at the age of 17 and later used the GI Bill to attend college. He was the father of two children.

Katz's "Education and Books" column appeared in the New York Daily Challenge; John Hope Franklin, Henry Louis Gates Jr., John Henrik Clarke, Howard Zinn, James M. McPherson, Alice Walker, Cornel West, Ivan Van Sertima, Betty Shabazz, and Dr. Ralph Bunche have praised his works.

Career New York City public schools, New York, NY: teacher of American history, 1955–60 He received an award for lifetime contributions to the literature for children of African descent from the Institute of African American Affairs of New York University, where he had been a scholar-in-residence.

Selected bibliography Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage (1997, Simon Pulse), The Black West: A Documentary and Pictorial History of the African American Role in the Westward Expansion of the United States (1996, Touchstone), Black Pioneers: An Untold Story (1999, Atheneum), Breaking The Chains (1998, Simon Pulse), Black Women of the Old West (1995, Atheneum), Black Legacy: A History of New York's African Americans (1997, Atheneum), Eyewitness: A Living Documentary of the African American Contribution to American History (1995, Touchstone), The Cruel Years: American Voices at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century (with Laurie Lehman, 2001, Beacon Press),

Essays by Katz What Goes Around Comes Around Tuesday October 19, 2004 The Meaning of Hugo Chávez Tuesday, August 24, 2004 Iraq, the US and an Old Lesson Wednesday April 28, 2004 Justice and African Seminoles, March 15, 2001 We Are Repeating the Mistake We Made in the Philippines 100 Years Ago, May 3, 2004 The Forgotten Fight Against Fascism, June 13, 2014, on Common Dreams 'The Birth of a Nation': A Century Later, February 14, 2015, on Common Dreams