Introduction to Special Issue: Black Technical and Professional Communication

ABSTRACT

Black Technical and Professional Communication is defined as ”practices that are centered around Black community, culture, and rhetorical practices that are inherent in the Black lived experience. Black TPC is reflective of the cultural, economic, social, and political experiences of Black people across the Diaspora” (Black TPC Taskforce). This special issue emphasizes the importance of valuing Black TPC as fundamental to developing a comprehensive understanding of the technical and professional communication.

KEYWORDS:

• History of technical communication
• historical technical communication
• Racial studies
• cultural studies
• Social justice
• ethics
• Black Communities
• Black Cultural Studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Natasha N. Jones

In 2020, the Black Technical and Professional Task force, constituted by Dr. Vershawn A. Young and led by Dr. Temptaous Mckoy (Bowie State University), published a statement and resource list that aimed to amplify the work of Black technical communicators and Black technical communication scholars. The task force included scholars Drs. Natasha N. Jones (Michigan State University), Cecilia Shelton (University of Maryland), Donnie Johnson Sackey (University of Texas, Austin), Kimberly Harper (North Carolina A&T State University), Ja’La Wourman (James Madison University), and graduate student Constance Haywood (Michigan State University).