Ron Walters
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ronald W. Walters (July 20, 1938 – September 10, 2010) was an American author, speaker and scholar of
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
. He was director of the African American Leadership Institute and Scholar Practitioner Program, Distinguished Leadership Scholar at the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, and professor in government and politics at the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
.


Early life and education

Ronald William Walters was born in 1938 in
Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
, the oldest of seven children of Gilmar and Maxine Fray Walters. His father was a career Army officer and later a professional musician, playing double bass. His mother was a civil rights investigator for the state.Hevesi, Dennis
"Ronald Walters, Rights Leader and Scholar, Dies at 72"
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', September 14, 2010. Accessed September 15, 2010.
Ron attended grade school and junior high school in Wichita, and he graduated from Wichita High School East in 1955. As president of the local
NAACP Youth Council The NAACP Youth Council is a branch of the NAACP in which youth are actively involved. In past years, council participants organized under the council's name to make major strides in the Civil Rights Movement. Started in 1935 by Juanita E. Jackson, ...
, then 20-year-old Walters organized the
Dockum Drug Store sit-in The Dockum Drug Store sit-in was one of the first organized lunch counter sit-ins for the purpose of integrating segregated establishments in the United States. The protest began on July 19, 1958 in downtown Wichita, Kansas, at a Dockum Drug Sto ...
in July 1958, which led to the desegregation of drugstores in
Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
, more than 18 months before the more widely publicized
Greensboro sit-ins The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests in February to July 1960, primarily in the Woolworth store—now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum—in Greensboro, North Carolina, which led to the F. W. Woolworth Comp ...
began in February 1960. Walters received his
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in History and Government with Honors from
Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...
1963 and both his
M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in African Studies 1966 and
Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
in International Studies 1971 from
American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
.


Career

Walters served as professor and chair of the political science department at
Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
, assistant professor and chair of Afro-American Studies at
Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...
, and assistant professor of political science at
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
. He served as visiting professor at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
and as a fellow of the Institute of Politics at
Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
. He had been a former member of the governing council of the
American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...
. At the time of his death he was a current member of the Board of Directors of the Ralph Bunche Institute of the
CUNY , mottoeng = The education of free people is the hope of Mankind , budget = $3.6 billion , established = , type = Public university system , chancellor = Fél ...
Graduate School and University Center. Walters was a distinguished member of
Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...
fraternity. In 1984, Walters served as campaign manager and consultant for Reverend
Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...
during his two presidential bids. He also served as the senior policy staff member for congressmen Charles Diggs, Jr. and William Gray. Walters published well over 100 academic articles and seven books. One book, ''Black Presidential Politics in America'', won the Bunche Prize. Walters appeared on television many times, going on popular shows such as
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
's ''
Crossfire A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I. ...
'', ''The Jesse Jackson Show'', CBS News ''
Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the progra ...
'', and ''Evening Exchange''. He appeared on radio shows such as ''
All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
'' and ''Living Room''. Walters was married to Patricia Ann Walters and lived in Silver Spring,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. He died from
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
at the age of 72.


Works and publications

*''Black Presidential Politics in America'' *''Pan Africanism in the African Diaspora'' *''White Nationalism, Black Interests: Conservative Public Policy and the Black Community'' *''Freedom is Not Enough: Black Voters, Black Candidates, and American Presidential Politics'' *''The Legitimacy to Lead'' *''Standing Up in America's Heartlands: Sitting in Before Greensboro''


Awards

*
Ralph Bunche Ralph Johnson Bunche (; August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist, diplomat, and leading actor in the mid-20th-century decolonization process and US civil rights movement, who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize f ...
Prize *2-time winner of the Best Book award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists (NCOBPS) *Distinguished faculty award from Howard University *Distinguished Scholar/Activist Award, The Black Scholar Magazine *W.E.B. DuBois/Frederick Douglas Award, African Heritage Studies Association * Ida Wells Barnett Award, Association of Black School Educators *
Fannie Lou Hamer Fannie Lou Hamer (; Townsend; October 6, 1917 – March 14, 1977) was an American voting rights, voting and women's rights activist, Community organizing, community organizer, and a leader in the civil rights movement. She was the co-foun ...
Award, National Conference of Black Political Scientists *Distinguished Faculty Contributions to the campus Diversity, University of Maryland * Wells-W.E.B. DuBois Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the
National Council for Black Studies National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of the field of Africana/African American/Black Studies. It is a not-for-profit organization established in 1975. The National Council for Black Studies was f ...


References


Sources

*Academy of Leadership: Ron Walters. (2005). Retrieved March 6, 2007 from https://web.archive.org/web/20071002033851/http://www.academy.umd.edu:80/AboutUs/staff/RWalters.htm. *History Makers: Ron Walters Biography. (2003). Retrieved March 7, 2007 from https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/ronald-walters-39 *PBS Think Tank: Biography: Ron Walters. (2003). Retrieved March 7, 2007 from https://www.pbs.org/thinktank/bio_1275.html. *Ron Walters. (2006). Retrieved March 6, 2007 from https://web.archive.org/web/20100606202939/http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/walters/


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Ron African-American political scientists American political scientists American civil rights activists American University alumni University of Maryland, College Park faculty University of Maryland College of Behavioral and Social Sciences people Fisk University alumni 1938 births 2010 deaths Deaths from cancer in Maryland Writers from Kansas Writers from Maryland American University School of International Service alumni 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people