The Black Scholar (TBS) is a journal founded in California, in 1969, by Robert Chrisman, Nathan Hare, and Allan Ross.

[4] The experience motivated Chrisman and Hare to create a venue outside of the academy for Black knowledge production.

[5] In November 1969, Hare (publisher), Chrisman (editor) and Allan Ross, a white Bay Area printer (as business manager) founded The Black Scholar: A Journal of Black Studies and Research to cover issues of social, cultural, economic and political thought.

[13] Robert Chrisman's essay "Black Prisoners, White Law", from the 1971 issue, was taken up by mainstream media such as the New York Times.

[19] In 1980, the journal published a pair of special issues on "Black Anthropology" (Sept/Oct 1980 and Nov/Dec 1980), guest-edited by Johnnetta Cole and Sheila S. Walker on behalf of the Association of Black Anthropologists, whose editorial (Sept/Oct 1980) explained that this was "the first collection of works by Afro-American anthropologists".

[citation needed] In 1992, following Clarence Thomas’ controversial hearings in the Senate prior to his being confirmed to the Supreme Court, TBS compiled a special issue (Winter 1991/Spring 1992).

The essays were later published as Court of Appeal: The Black Community Speaks Out on the Racial and Sexual Politics of Thomas vs. Hill (Ballantine, 1992).