Martin Luther Boston: Sacramento State professor of Black studies dies at 41

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Martin Luther Boston, Sacramento State’s director of Pan-African studies, died last week at age 41.

Boston, who died Aug. 17, was also a director of the Black Serving Institution initiative for the college. A cause of death was not made public, though Sacramento State President Luke Wood said Boston’s loss was unexpected during his fall 2025 address.

“Sacramento State is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Martin Boston, Director of Pan African Studies and Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies,” the university wrote in a statement. “Dr. Boston was a passionate educator, a dedicated scholar, and a true champion for his students and the community. He will truly be missed.”

He taught about Black studies, cultural studies, social movements, popular culture, decolonial studies and South African and American comparative and transnational histories, according to his faculty profile on the Sacramento State scholars website.

Boston was previously a postdoctoral fellow at DePaul University in Chicago and a lecturer at UC San Diego, the college said.

He earned a bachelor’s in comparative ethnic studies and a master’s in American studies from Washington State University. He picked up a second master’s degree and Ph.D. — both in ethnic studies — from UC San Diego.

Boston also served as a board member for Sacramento State’s Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, which hosts restorative justice programs.

Ernest Uwazie, the CAPCR’s director, said he also worked with Boston during several international conferences at Sacramento State and as the late professor served as editor in chief for “African and Black Diaspora: An International Journal.”

“He was a great colleague, brilliant scholar, dedicated educator, and committed mentor to his students,” Uwazie said. “His death was shocking and heartbreaking, and he’ll be sorely missed.”

Boston lived in Elk Grove and left behind a wife and children.

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