Ned Ragget wrote on his blog:
It’s with great sadness I pass on news of the passing of Lindon Barrett, who taught in the UCI English and Comp Lit department during my years as a grad student there in the early to mid 1990s. [REVISED NEWS EDIT: Dan Tsang here at UCI passed on the initial news via a post on his Subversity radio show site, as well as an e-mail note he sent out to a number of people Monday night, including KUCI staff members and alumni, which is how I heard of the tragedy. The OC Register's College Life blog had one of the first formal reports on Tuesday morning, including comments from Dan and Prof. Barrett's fellow academics James Tobias, George Haggerty and Jennifer Doyle. On Wednesday afternoon, the College Life blog posted this further update indicating a formal report on Prof. Barrett's passing may not be due for some time due to the necessity of a toxicology screen. The chair of UCR's English Department, Katherine Kinney, issued this statement on Tuesday; at UCI, the Dean of Humanities, Vicki Ruiz, also issued a statement. Further news reports have also now appeared as of Wednesday morning at the LA Times and the Long Beach Press-Telegram.] Prof. Barrett had most recently been working at UC Riverside, where his official page lists his numerous publications; a complementary page via the English department is here. His old UC Irvine page may be found here, and Google Books offers up pages of his book Blackness and Value.
Prof. Barrett’s areas of interest did not dovetail directly with my area of research while in the English department and so I did not take any courses with him, and at most we only ever exchanged a few brief words at the time. But as you can see from his photos on the pages he was impossible to miss when over at the department, a striking looking man who always carried himself with a strong sense of grace and power in equal measure. The fact that he was an associate editor for the academic journal Callaloo for three years, from 1997 to 2000, gives a sense of how he was regarded both in the fields of literary criticism and African American Studies; he was director of the latter program at UCI from 2004 to 2007, and there will be many people on the campus who will be grieving.
Over the years a number of people who I knew and/or worked with during grad school have passed on, including two of my advisors, Al Wlecke and Homer Brown, gracious and intelligent gentlemen both. Prof. Barrett’s death now adds to that sad total.
My condolences to his friends and family and all those who were his students and close colleagues. If there is any further information regarding a memorial or something similar, I would be happy to post a link to it for reference.
Amy Kim Says:
July 15, 2008 at 12:22 pm
I was mentored by Lindon as an undergraduate student at UCI and was deeply inspired by him. This man was extremely brilliant and cared about his students. I will miss him. I send my condolences to his family.
Hortense Spillers Says:
July 15, 2008 at 2:12 pm
The worse news I’ve heard all year came to me this morning about Lindon Barrett from a colleague. What happened to him is unspeakable, and I won’t get over it soon. But I wrote a tribute to him some years ago in an essay of mine that appears in my collection of essays, and it says something to the effect that as a member of an older academic generation, I was hoping to leave a “cleaner space” for all the “arriving company,” or the next generation of African-American scholars, to work in. And so, I said, “I cleaned my house,” to echo William Faulkner. To my mind, Lindon exemplified the younger cohort, and he is directly named in the piece. Today, I am happy to have memorialized him, though his death is coming far too soon.
Tina Feldmann Says:
July 15, 2008 at 3:49 pm
My prayers go out to Lindon’s family. Lindon was such a bright light to UC Riverside. As a staff member, I can say that he was always kind, friendly, and respectful to all the staff. And the smile that you see in his pictures is the way he looked all the time…every day. He was warm and friendly and courteous. It was a pleasure to work for him. He will be greatly missed.
Ann Barrett Says:
July 15, 2008 at 4:06 pm
On behalf of the family, I will say thank-you for the kind words “Thank You”.
In accordance with Lindon’s wishes, he will be cremated and his ashes scattered into the ocean. His memorial service will be held in his hometown of Winnipeg,Manitoba, Canada; Date to be determined.
Ned Raggett Says:
July 15, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Thank you Ann — I will update this entry with this information. Please feel free to pass on anything else.
Sharon Oster Says:
July 15, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I posted a longer comment to Oh! Industry, but here I just want to send my love and prayers to his family. He touched my life and he will be missed.
Jamie Park Says:
July 15, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I would not be here today if it weren’t for Dr. Barrett. He believed in me, and chose to express that in the time he generously offered me, in the way he engaged with my work and tirelessly encouraged my feeble efforts towards becoming a scholar. His humility and gentleness always blew me away, and is something that continues to serve as a model for me. I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to have met and been influenced by him. I am honored and so proud to have been (and to still be) his student, and to call him a mentor and I know that every single aspect of my career will be a living legacy and tribute to his life and work. To the Barrett family: Thank you for bringing Lindon into this world, and for blessing all of us with such a beautiful, brilliant and incredibly generous human being. My prayers and thoughts are with you all at this time. I am just one of many who have been forever shaped and changed radically by Lindon’s life and example.
Marcelle Says:
July 15, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I send my love to his family and the family he created at UCI. I would never have had the courage to become an academic if it weren’t for Lindon. He changed my life and I will miss him so much.
Mike Says:
July 15, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I met Lindon at a time when I was just beginning to realize what I wanted to do with my life. He helped guide me through the process of applying to graduate school and served as an informal adviser as I was working on my dissertation. But what I’ll miss the most is his friendship that grew out of our professional relationship. I’ll miss the little things the most–the way he used to freak my cats out by doing things like blowing cigarette smoke in their faces and the time that he got lost trying to navigate my apartment complex when he was drunk. Those are the things I’ll miss the most, the things which made him more than just a professor to me.
James Krasner Says:
July 15, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Lindon and I were graduate students together at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a sweet, good-hearted person, who drove my dog to the vet and took me shopping at big suburban grocery stores for fun. And he always ran out of gas, but it was fun hitchhiking with him. He was always joyful, self-conscious and funny, and a wonderful friend. And yes, of course, he was brilliant and intellectually daring as well. I will miss his warm heart and his smile.
Vivian Folkenflik Says:
July 15, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I taught with Lindon for three years some time ago in the UCI Humanities Core Course. A thousand students a year– that’s three thousand. Harlem Renaissance, Tarzan, Larsen. It’s thanks to him that I re-accessed a lot of music that mattered to me in my childhood and matters to me now. I also remember the lovely evening Bob and I shared here with his parents, who were visiting, one friend of his parents’, two friends of ours. May others too be able to think about the good things they remember sharing with Lindon.
Vanessa Osborne Says:
July 15, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I’ll miss Lindon Barrett’s sharp intellect and soft spoken timbre. I’ll miss seeing the smile break out on his face when someone in seminar said something surprisingly smart. I’ll miss his brilliant scholarship that always challenged and fascinated me. American Studies has suffered a massive loss, a brilliant scholar and a wonderful person has been torn from us. He will be missed.
Michele Says:
July 15, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I took Lindon’s seminar in 2002 during my first quarter of grad school at UCI and his ongoing encouragement and support of my work helped to sustain me throughout a difficult first year. While in recent years I’ve lost touch with Lindon, my memory of him is vivid. I’m now nearing the end of my grad school experience and I’m so thankful he was there at the beginning.
Tara Says:
July 16, 2008 at 12:35 am
If ever there was an angel on earth it would have been Professor Barrett. Just looking at him you could tell… he had more life in him than most would ever hope to know. He was so beautiful and different. He seemed higher, but was so down-to-earth.
My heart is broken. Now that I am starting graduate school, I only find solace in the fact that I got to tell him just how absolutely important he was to my intellectual growth. He completely opened my eyes, and I hope that I will do him proud.
Lillian Manzor Says:
July 16, 2008 at 4:51 am
I am still in shock. Lindon and I were colleagues at UCI when English and Comparative Literature were one department. For many years, we were the only two professors of color in the bastion of deconstruction and critical theory. We went through many instances of overt and covert racism: from a senior colleague suggesting to him “to go back to the ghetto” to sly remarks about my linguistic infelicites. Lindon was able to navigate these difficult moments with elegance and wit. We would read these experiences critically, and in discussion with colleagues he was always able to transform them into a learning experience–theory in the flesh that left no apparent bitterness. Always funny and full of a joie-de-vivre, he never lost sight of what was important to him and why he was there: the undergraduate and graduate students to whom he served as devoted professor and mentor. May all of us who knew him honor him and his family by never losing sight of what he taught us through his writings and his actions.
Vicki Says:
July 16, 2008 at 10:16 am
I, too, remain in shock. I had the honor of studying with Lindon as an undergrad at UCI. Lindon was a generous scholar, a kind soul, and inspiring to his students. He will truly be missed.
Kendra Hamilton Says:
July 16, 2008 at 10:22 am
I met Lindon through Callaloo. What a beautiful spirit, a profound intellect–what a terrible loss!!!
tessa winkelmann Says:
July 16, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Professor Barrett was one of my favorite professors at UCI. All of my english major compatriots would probably agree that he was brilliant, funny and comanding. After my first class with him, i tried to take as many of his classes that i could fit into my schedule. His word helped spur my desire to pursue academia for social change. I will miss him so much.
Janet Says:
July 16, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Lindon’s friends have set up a memorial of flowers outside of his building in downtown Long Beach as a tribute to him. If you would like to contribute flowers, his apartment building is at the corner of 5th and Pine. It is in keeping with Lindon’s life to leave spontaneous evidence of the beautiful collective spirit that was always at the center of his heart and mind.
Bob Myers Says:
July 16, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Lindon and I met over ten years ago, and his smile never changed. Sometimes that’s what we offer when we offer our best: encouragement, compassion, celebration and the knowledge that this too shall pass. This is what has always carried us through…Be strong for Lindon, and let his requiem be your smile.
Valerie T Says:
July 16, 2008 at 4:24 pm
May God Bless and comfort his family. May his students and colleagues continue his legacy!!!
William McGee Says:
July 16, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I took one of Prof. Barrett’s African American lit courses this past spring. His skills as a professor were only matched by the beauty of his soul. His energy will be missed, but I am grateful for the period of time in which I was able to spend with Professor Barrett.
Molly Lindsay Says:
July 16, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I am devastated. Words cannot express my grief. Jamie Park, whose entry is above, expresses my thoughts better than I could at this time - I feel exactly as he does. Lindon was not only a professor of mine, but also a friend. We spent time together, laughing often and always engaged in some kind of fun. He spoke of his family, people I wish I could meet, in times of quiet reflection. My heart goes out to you. I’m so angry at myself for not calling him lately - I’ll never have the chance to speak with him again. I hope that those of us who cared so deeply for him can put together a local memorial service. Please post here if one happens to occur.
Alexandria Gurley Says:
July 17, 2008 at 11:58 am
I must say that I did not have the pleasure of speaking to Prof. Barrett as often as I should have, and so getting to know him more personally was not a specific luxury of mine. But I was blessed to take one of his courses in the Spring of 2007 at UCI. Those 10 short weeks I spent in his classroom was certainly an enlightening experience. He was truly one of the few professors in the Af Am department that made me even more glad I chose it as my major. I must say that not one day passed that he did not have a smile on his face. I pray God bless and keep his family in this time of grief and may God also bless his soul. R.I.P.
Laura Lozon Says:
July 17, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I only had the pleasure of knowing Lindon for a short time but he was just the nicest person and I will really miss him. He always had that beautiful infectious smile on his face! He will be missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Anna Says:
July 17, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I am so, so shocked to hear the sad news. While I did not know Lindon personally, I had seen him give a speech in a conference and have heard good things about his classes. My condolences to his family at this sad time.
Dwight A. McBride Says:
July 17, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I met Lindon when he was a young assistant professor at UCI and I was a graduate student at UCLA. He was at times colleague, mentor, and friend. Lindon was one of the first two people to model for me how to be black and gay in the academy in a way that is uncompromising. He was among the most brilliant minds of our generation in our field of black literary and cultural studies. But he never wore that mantle in any way except to be generous with his gifts and of service to others.
He was a colleague who did the work of reading the work of younger scholars. He did the work of serving as associate editor of CALLALOO. He did the work of organizing symposia and opportunities to bring scholars together for conversation. He did the work of administration when he stepped up to direct African American Studies at UCI. He was always modeling for us all how to be of service in this profession.
And he believed passionately in the power of scholarship to change people. That’s why he wrote with such fervor. Lindon was a prolific author of articles and essays; author of a brilliant book; and was at work on a new book that was likely to be among the most powerful statements on slavery for our time.
And he believed powerfully in taking in the beauty in life and in making sure we did not forsake the pleasures of life. Few people could have convinced me–as Lindon once did–that our dancing until all hours in a nightclub in Los Angeles constituted an act of radical resistance. His passion was a huge part of his charm and appeal.
I will miss his deep humanity, his courage, his love, and most of all his incredible light, which gave so many others permission to shine as well.
Piya Chatterjee Says:
July 17, 2008 at 11:52 pm
I never met Lindon but had heard that he was at UCR–and what a coup it was that UCR’s English Department “get” him. I wish, now, that I had looked him–shared a cup of tea. Folks who knew him spoke of his gentleness and his amazing smile— as much as his brilliance as a scholar and teacher : as a friend said of him, he was a true “soul worker.” What an extraordinary loss for all of us–at UCI, UCR, and beyond.
So, all the way from eastern India, I would like to send my deepest condolences and prayers to his family at this time of sorrow. I pray his Spirit flies in peace.
Piya Chatterjee, faculty member, WMST
From Facebook group by Lindon's cousin Kizzy:
I am Lindon's cousin and on behalf of the family we send our heartfelt thanks to his friends and students in Los Angeles, and elsewhere. We are also very grateful for the love and support of friends who have called and visited during this difficult time.
He was a man of independent thought and was fearless in his views. He told you what he thought, made you think, but also made you laugh. He loved his family and friends and would turn up for a visit surprising them and making the most of every moment.
Lindon loved to spend time looking out over the Pacific Ocean and in accordance with his wishes, he will be cremated and returned to the sea. A memorial service will be held in Winnipeg at a later date.
A bright light has gone out, but he will be remembered forever.
Flowers are gratefully declined. Because of Lindon’s love of reading, if so desired a donation to the Winnipeg Public Library or a charity encouraging literacy would be most appreciated.
---
Lindon's student writes:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone move so quickly, both psychically and physically, as Lindon Barrett sometimes did. He would be in one place, and then he would be in another literally in the blink of an eye. I swear I once saw him walk through a wall. (Okay, the wall had a door in it, but he went through it so quickly that it didn’t seem to open or close.) He was intensely alert and engaged and brought all kinds of knowledge to bear on any discussion. He had his own vision and spoke and acted on it with great courage, generosity, sensitivity, and joy. He worked and nurtured and helped create an incredible African American Studies department in the heart of Orange County. By standing up for himself and others, he insisted on the value of difference and the necessity for change. His most amazing face often had the most amazing things happening on it. He had a great capacity to move and to be moved. He was someone who crossed boundaries, made connections, expanded possibilities, and changed things. Why did he leave UCI? Why is he dead? Why was he not found for days? As I mourn his death and celebrate his life, these questions and others point at least in part to structural problems that now demand my attention more urgently than ever.
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I met Lindon during my junior year at UCI in 2002 in my literary criticism/theory course and was immediately struck by his brilliance, passion, and candor in class. I took 3 or 4 of his courses and asked him to be my thesis advisor and mentor during my senior year. I met with Lindon weekly to discuss different texts from the Harlem Renaissance and count it as a great privilege and honor to have studied under him. I remember always calling him "doctor" or "Professor Barrett," to which he would always respond, "Please, call me Lindon." He was so far from pretentious and intimidating, and was always kind, generous, and gracious towards me. He encouraged my scholarship and taught me so much. Lindon singularly changed my undergraduate experience and I will miss him very much. News of his death was horrifying and came as a shock to me and has brought much sadness. I know Lindon touched and inspired so many, and I think tributes like this where we can remember and share stories about him can help bring a little bit of solace in light of the terrible circumstances.
Amy Kim, English, UCI, Class of 2004
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Tara Bui
Undergraduate student at UC Irvine
If ever there was an angel on earth it would have been Professor Barrett. Just looking at him you could tell… he had more life in him than most would ever hope to know. He was so beautiful and different. He seemed higher, but was so down-to-earth.
My heart is broken. Now that I am starting graduate school, I only find solace in the fact that I got to tell him just how absolutely important he was to my intellectual growth. He completely opened my eyes, and I hope that I will do him proud.
---
Jerome Christensen
Chair, Department of English, UC Irvine
By now the shocking news of Lindon Barrett’s violent death has spread throughout the community, and its sad finality has darkened the hearts of everyone. Lindon was a pioneer at UCI where he was an activist scholar whose groundbreaking work, penetrating intelligence, passionate commitment, and charismatic presence educated minds and changed lives. But it is not just UCI that will miss Lindon. His scholarship and his vitality made him a compelling figure on the national scene. He has been a beacon to many within the UC system. And he had already established himself as a vital member of the faculty at UC Riverside. Lindon is irreplaceable, but we are fortunate that the light that he spread during his life will in memory dispell the darkness into which we have all been cast by his death.
___
Marcelle Cohen
Graduate student at UC Irvine
I send my love to his family and the family he created at UCI. I would never have had the courage to become an academic if it weren’t for Lindon. He changed my life and I will miss him so much.
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Michele Currie
Graduate student at UC Irvine
I took Lindon’s seminar in 2002 during my first quarter of grad school at UCI and his ongoing encouragement and support of my work helped to sustain me throughout a difficult first year. While in recent years I’ve lost touch with Lindon, my memory of him is vivid. I’m now nearing the end of my grad school experience and I’m so thankful he was there at the beginning.
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Emory Elliott
University Professor, UC Riverside
I have known Lindon and enjoyed his friendship for eighteen years. I had the chance to read much of his superb scholarship when I was asked to write a report for his promotion and tenure in 1996. I was most impressed with the striking originality of his thinking and his analytical powers. He soon became recognized in the United States and abroad as a leader in his fields of American Studies, African American literature and culture, and literary theory. After many years at UC Irvine, UCR was able to persuade him to move to our English Department where he was warmly welcomed as a bright star on the campus. As a teacher and colleague, he was greatly admired and liked. His passing is an enormous loss to our department and the campus. I will miss not only his powerful, brilliant work but will also miss his warmth, wit, and cheerful presence among us.
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Tina Feldmann
Academic staff, UC Riverside
My prayers go out to Lindon’s family. Lindon was such a bright light to UC Riverside. As a staff member, I can say that he was always kind, friendly, and respectful to all the staff. And the smile that you see in his pictures is the way he looked all the time…every day. He was warm and friendly and courteous. It was a pleasure to work for him. He will be greatly missed.
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Vivian Folkenflik
Lecturer, Humanities CORE, UC Irvine
I taught with Lindon for three years some time ago in the UCI Humanities Core Course. A thousand students a year– that’s three thousand. Harlem Renaissance, Tarzan, Larsen. It’s thanks to him that I re-accessed a lot of music that mattered to me in my childhood and matters to me now. I also remember the lovely evening Bob and I shared here with his parents, who were visiting, one friend of his parents’, two friends of ours. May others too be able to think about the good things they remember sharing with Lindon.
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Alexandria Gurley
Undergraduate student at UC Irvine
I must say that I did not have the pleasure of speaking to Prof. Barrett as often as I should have, and so getting to know him more personally was not a specific luxury of mine. But I was blessed to take one of his courses in the Spring of 2007 at UCI. Those 10 short weeks I spent in his classroom was certainly an enlightening experience. He was truly one of the few professors in the Af Am department that made me even more glad I chose it as my major. I must say that not one day passed that he did not have a smile on his face. I pray God bless and keep his family in this time of grief and may God also bless his soul. R.I.P.
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Kendra Hamilton
Poet
I met Lindon through Callaloo. What a beautiful spirit, a profound intellect–what a terrible loss!!!
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Nicole King
Professor of English, University of London
I first met Lindon in 1988 when he welcomed me into a cohort of wonderful graduate student scholars at the University of Pennsylvania. He was probably already writing his dissertation by then and was a tantalising example of how to be brilliant and cool and funky. I remember some fabulous house parties where Lindon was in attendance and dancing with him to jams like ‘It Takes Two’ by Rob Base; ‘Da Butt’ by EU (from Spike Lee’s School Daze); and ‘Back to Life’ by Soul II Soul, . Love you Lindon and thank you.
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James Krasner
Associate Professor of English, University of New Hampshire
Lindon and I were graduate students together at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a sweet, good-hearted person, who drove my dog to the vet and took me shopping at big suburban grocery stores for fun. And he always ran out of gas, but it was fun hitchhiking with him. He was always joyful, self-conscious and funny, and a wonderful friend. And yes, of course, he was brilliant and intellectually daring as well. I will miss his warm heart and his smile.
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James Lee
Associate Professor of Asian American Studies and English, UC Santa Barbara
I was a 2nd year undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania when I met Lindon. On the top floor of Bennett Hall, there was a room of “writing tutors,” with a list of graduate students and their respective areas of expertise. Next to Lindon’s name was “critical theory.” So one day, I walked in, plopped myself down in front of him, and asked him, “So what is deconstruction?” Lindon took a breath, smiled, and proceeded to jot down some books for me to read. I can’t remember the entire list now, though for some reason Foucault’s language, counter-memory, practice comes to mind. I checked out a couple of these books and proceeded to understand not a word. I went back, and asked Lindon, “What the hell is this?”
Later that year, we’d joke about that initial encounter. Lindon had just secured the job at UC Irvine: he printed out the final version of his dissertation, which again I proceeded not to understand at all, while I was finishing up a class on, wait for it, deconstruction.
Five years later, we met again in a graduate seminar at UCLA. Lindon was still Lindon, with slightly longer hair than what I’d remembered. I wrote a paper for him, an early version of what would become a central chapter in my book. I can’t remember the exact wording of his comments when he handed back the seminar paper, but I do remember the feeling: here was a teacher who read my work, took it seriously, and unequivocally voiced his delight. This time, I understood a bit better what he was saying, and what he was writing, but what remained the same always was Lindon’s willing to push, to push with the promise that as I struggled into the unknown he’d be there with me.
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Molly Lindsay
Undergraduate student at UC Irvine
I am devastated. Words cannot express my grief. Jamie Park, whose entry is above, expresses my thoughts better than I could at this time - I feel exactly as he does. Lindon was not only a professor of mine, but also a friend. We spent time together, laughing often and always engaged in some kind of fun. He spoke of his family, people I wish I could meet, in times of quiet reflection. My heart goes out to you.
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David Lloyd
Professor of English, University of Southern California
I don’t know how to compose something adequate for Lindon by the 21st, but I know that he was the sweetest, sharpest of men, a beautiful intellect--and I mean beautiful in the fullest sense, penetrating and elegant at once. His essay on The Purloined Letter is one of the finest, most awakening things I have read and his books have been shaping new ground. More than that, I admired his consistent refusal, ornery and witty at once, to be subsumed, to go along, “mitmachen” as the Germans say. I do not know how he died, but I know that he was a survivor.
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Steven Mailloux
Chancellors Professor of Rhetoric, UC Irvine
Lindon and I were friends for seventeen years, both of us having arrived at UC Irvine in 1991. At different times we were colleagues in English and Comparative Literature, African American Studies, and most recently the Critical Theory Institute. Early on I came to have the greatest respect for Lindon’s intellectual passion and commitment. One could see this passionate commitment in the way he put his academic career at risk as he took controversial stands on positions he believed in. When he was an untenured assistant professor, he argued rigorously for African American Studies as first and foremost an intellectual enterprise, even if that intellectual enterprise was also at the same time an important political project. His passion and commitment could be seen again when, after tenure, he painstakingly transformed himself as a scholar, moving from being primarily a focused literary close-reader to a much more broadly-based interdisciplinary cultural critic interpreting the philosophical history and global geopolitics of slavery. I was inspired by his intellectual self-transformation even as I struggled to keep up with the evolution of his thinking. But now, this brilliant intellectual refashioning has ended abruptly, prematurely, tragically.
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Lillian Manzor
Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures, University of Miami
I am still in shock. Lindon and I were colleagues at UCI when English and Comparative Literature were one department. For many years, we were the only two professors of color in the bastion of deconstruction and critical theory. We went through many instances of overt and covert racism: from a senior colleague suggesting to him “to go back to the ghetto” to sly remarks about my linguistic infelicites. Lindon was able to navigate these difficult moments with elegance and wit. We would read these experiences critically, and in discussion with colleagues he was always able to transform them into a learning experience–theory in the flesh that left no apparent bitterness. Always funny and full of a joie-de-vivre, he never lost sight of what was important to him and why he was there: the undergraduate and graduate students to whom he served as devoted professor and mentor. May all of us who knew him honor him and his family by never losing sight of what he taught us through his writings and his actions.
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Farid Matuk
Poet
Lindon showed me how to feel free, that we can choose at any moment to do something extraordinary. He could transform an interaction - sometimes just by the way he listened, sometimes with something he said. Of course his scholarship was brilliant and fierce, but he also brought that intensity and soul to human interactions and that was what impressed me so. He was the first person I met who was insistent about what we brought to each other as human beings. He was a soul worker. First, by reminding you you had one, then by actually speaking to it or dancing to it or creating a space for it to be. I will remember many intimate moments, but most of all, to honor him, I will try to remember the ever present possibility.
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William McGee
Undergraduate student at UC Riverside
I took one of Prof. Barrett’s African American lit courses this past spring. His skills as a professor were only matched by the beauty of his soul. His energy will be missed, but I am grateful for the period of time in which I was able to spend with Professor Barrett.
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Mireille Miller-Young
Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies, UC Santa Barbara
Lindon was immensely generous to me, and extremely supportive of my work. He gave me one of the best introductions I ever had when I spoke at Irvine in 2005. He was brilliant and a great mentor. I am saddened by this loss. Thanks for playing Billie for him!
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Fred Moten
Professor of English, Duke University
One night, about 4:00 am, after a lot of wine and scotch and a few draws on Lindon’s pipe, one of us, I don’t remember which, said that “Come See About Me” was surely the Supremes’ greatest song and one of the great works of art of the 20th Century, and the other just nodding as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
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Bob Myers
Lindon and I met over ten years ago, and his smile never changed. Sometimes that’s what we offer when we offer our best: encouragement, compassion, celebration and the knowledge that this too shall pass. This is what has always carried us through…Be strong for Lindon, and let his requiem be your smile.
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Vanessa Osborne
Graduate student at UC Irvine
I’ll miss Lindon Barrett’s sharp intellect and soft spoken timbre. I’ll miss seeing the smile break out on his face when someone in seminar said something surprisingly smart. I’ll miss his brilliant scholarship that always challenged and fascinated me. American Studies has suffered a massive loss, a brilliant scholar and a wonderful person has been torn from us. He will be missed.
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Sharon Oster
English Ph.D., UCLA
I was lucky enough to take a graduate seminar from Lindon at UCLA many years ago when he visited there - “Blackness and the Mind/body Split.” He challenged me, inspired me, and supported my work, not only offering me the chance for my first publication in a book he was editing, but by engaging so deeply with my ideas. I was blown away as a grad student to be mentored, and taken so seriously, by a visiting professor. When I was later his colleague, briefly, at UCI, he welcomed me with warmth and kindness.
Lindon’s work has shaped the way I think. He introduced me to Elaine Scarry and to body criticism early in my career, and his essay on legibility and William and Ellen Craft has been a constant reference point when I read and teach slave narrative.
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Jamie Park
Undergraduate student at UC Irvine and graduate student at UC Riverside
I would not be here today if it weren’t for Dr. Barrett. He believed in me, and chose to express that in the time he generously offered me, in the way he engaged with my work and tirelessly encouraged my feeble efforts towards becoming a scholar. His humility and gentleness always blew me away, and is something that continues to serve as a model for me. I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to have met and been influenced by him. I am honored and so proud to have been (and to still be) his student, and to call him a mentor and I know that every single aspect of my career will be a living legacy and tribute to his life and work. To the Barrett family: Thank you for bringing Lindon into this world, and for blessing all of us with such a beautiful, brilliant and incredibly generous human being. My prayers and thoughts are with you all at this time. I am just one of many who have been forever shaped and changed radically by Lindon’s life and example.
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Melissa Sanchez
Assistant Professor of English, University of Pennsylvania
Though I ended up working on topics far removed from Lindon's own interests, I still think of his class as one that influenced me most. It was on autobiography and slave narratives, and it was, literally, the first class that I'd ever had that used gender/queer theory, critical race theory, and cultural studies. Lindon was the first professor I had who taught me that literature is deeply implicated in politics, culture, and power, and the first professor who made me feel like studying literary works was not only pleasurable, but also could be part of critical discussions on identity, authority, law, and ideology. Lindon will be sorely missed – not only by those of us who've known and admired him, but by decades of future students who, sadly, won't even know what they're missing.
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Vicki
Undergraduate student at UC Irvine
Lindon was a generous scholar, a kind soul, and inspiring to his students. He will truly be missed.
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Susan Zieger
Associate Professor of English, UC Riverside
In the short time that I was Lindon’s colleague, I saw enough of his generous spirit and capacious intellect to sense how great a loss his passing really is. There is a hole in my future where a vibrant interlocutor and friend might have been.
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Cathryn Atkinson
Childhood friend from Winnipeg
I knew Lindon when we were both children in Winnipeg, Canada. Our parents were friends. He was a great kid then, too. I haven't seen him for many years, but I had heard he had done brilliantly well in his work and these comments attest to that. I am completely heartsick thinking about what his parents and the rest of his terrific family are going through right now and my thoughts are with them.
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Fernando Chirino
Undergraduate student at UC Irvine
As an undergrad, I took every class Professor Barrett offered in English. As a graduate student in sociology, I owe him for keeping me focused on struggling past the political hurdles meant to both police the common thoughts of students and exclude students who reject society's exploitative values. When I was arrested at a protest in which there was an unprovoked and violently repressive police riot in Garden Grove, he talked me through the rage and loathing. I am saddened and infuriated by the news of his death. Professor Barrett, our loss is great, but the struggle will continue.
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Noah Cho
Undergraduate student at UC Irvine
At UCI, I had three professors that made me want to become a teacher: James Chiampi, Chris Diffee, and Lindon Barrett. Dr. Barrett influenced me not only through the thoughtful lectures and discussions on topics from deconstruction and the Harlem Renaissance, but in a global sense, from politics to the place of minorities in modern academia.
I will treasure the three classes I took with Dr. Barrett forever. Every time I teach a short story from The Ways of White Folks to one of my students, I'll remember the days I studied that book with him, talking to him before class with friends, and watching as he silently rolled his cigarettes, nodded, and then proceeded to amaze us with an analytical angle that our feeble 20 year old minds would never grasp. You were one in a million, Dr. Barrett.
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Gabrielle Daniels
Graduate student at UC Irvine
I was shocked to hear about Lindon's death through an emeritus professor and in particular, how it may have happened. I took a graduate seminar with him in the late Nineties. He was a brilliant, fine, and funny individual, who felt at home being an intellectual, and being himself. He was the kind of guy who would gift you with the latest CD playing in his car if you liked it. I loved his work and what he was accomplishing. I can't believe that he is gone.
Brynn Hutchinson
Undergraduate student at UC Irvine
I am completely shocked and utterly sick to my stomach. Professor Barrett was one of my favorite professors. His enthusiasm, knowledge, and passion for what he taught were infectious. I was fortunate enough to be a part of one of his classes as an undergraduate at UC Irvine, and as others have said, he was simply brilliant. He made the subject matter come alive, and for that I am eternally grateful. RIP, Professor Barrett. You will be greatly missed.
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Winston Paul Jeune
Though not as well as others, I came to know of Prof. Barrett through my family. Shock and sadness only describe the beginnings of my reaction upon learning of this tragedy. I wish the Barrett family all the strength and comfort that they will need during this difficult time (and beyond).
I hope that the light and inspiration of Professor Barrett will pervade through us all.
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Jay Lamothe
Undergraduate student at UC Irvine
I had a couple of classes with Lindon in either 99 or 2000 and years after graduating, I would stop by the Humanities Department just to look for Lindon for some good chatting.
Never failed to make you smile. He walked around campus with a sense of pride, humility and confidence. Can't recall the last time I was able to connect with a professor as easily as he connected with his students. Occasionally, you'd be sitting in class and he'd shock you with some off the wall expletives. Super random, but arguably one of the most memorable characters at UCI.
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Arthur L. Little
Associate Professor of English, UCLA
It’s difficult to picture Lindon’s face and not see his locks dangling across his smile. The loss of Lindon is one of those impossible losses, one of those moments of ineffability, of being overpowered and overwhelmed. I have spent the past few days trying to comprehend, to experience, the brilliance, vitality, and purposefulness that have been taken away from us. On more than a few occasions these nearly past two decades, when I’ve found myself laughing, filled with emotional and intellectual cheerfulness and defiance as a response to some of those things some of us find ourselves experiencing as black gay academics and people, I always knew Lindon–unapologetic and supportive–was somewhere hanging out in the neighborhood.
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Dwight McBride
Dean of Humanities, University of Illinois, Chicago
I met Lindon when he was a young assistant professor at UCI and I was a graduate student at UCLA. He was at times colleague, mentor, and friend. Lindon was one of the first two people to model for me how to be black and gay in the academy in a way that is uncompromising. He was among the most brilliant minds of our generation in our field of black literary and cultural studies. But he never wore that mantle in any way except to be generous with his gifts and of service to others.
He was a colleague who did the work of reading the work of younger scholars. He did the work of serving as associate editor of CALLALOO. He did the work of organizing symposia and opportunities to bring scholars together for conversation. He did the work of administration when he stepped up to direct African American Studies at UCI. He was always modeling for us all how to be of service in this profession.
And he believed passionately in the power of scholarship to change people. That’s why he wrote with such fervor. Lindon was a prolific author of articles and essays; author of a brilliant book; and was at work on a new book that was likely to be among the most powerful statements on slavery for our time.
And he believed powerfully in taking in the beauty in life and in making sure we did not forsake the pleasures of life. Few people could have convinced me–as Lindon once did–that our dancing until all hours in a nightclub in Los Angeles constituted an act of radical resistance. His passion was a huge part of his charm and appeal.
I will miss his deep humanity, his courage, his love, and most of all his incredible light, which gave so many others permission to shine as well.
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Kavita Philip
Associate Professor of Women’s Studies, UC Irvine
Lindon’s passing is unacceptably tragic. My deepest condolences to his family.
I wish things could have been otherwise; he loved life and had many great years ahead of him. He had labored lovingly over this second book, and those who heard him speak of it anticipated an important intellectual intervention. His brilliance and generosity will always be remembered by colleagues and students who had the privilege of sharing time and thoughts with him.
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Ynnad Selbor
Undergraduate student at UC Riverside
I had Dr. Barrett for African American Literature Slave Narratives and went to office hours quite frequently. I enjoyed talking to this gentle soul, and intelligent professor. Tonight, I am broken and at a complete and total loss. I grieve the untimely death of professor Barrett.
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Earth Shah
Undergraduate student at UC Riverside
I had Professor Barrett last quarter and he was one of the most amazing and inspirational professor I ever had...some of the stuff he said in class was priceless...never expected any professor to say that but he spoke the truth...he will be greatly missed.
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