Roy Simon Bryce-Laporte (born Roy Laporte; September 7, 1933 in Panama City – July 30, 2012 in Sykesville, Maryland) was a sociologist who established one of the first African-American studies departments. Roy Simon Laporte was born and raised in the Republic of Panama, of a family of mixed West Indian and African ancestry. Bryce-Laporte attended the University of Panama, earning an associate degree, before earning bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and studying at the University of Puerto Rico. He completed a Ph.D. in sociology at UCLA.