Steven Whitehurst (born March 3, 1967) is an

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 ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

, and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

who currently resides in

Calumet City, Illinois Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409. Etymology The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq ...

Biography

Born Steven Fondren into a single-parent family on the South Side of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, he was raised by his mother Oneda Fondren, and grandmother Sarah Fondren. When he was young his mother married and her name became Oneda Whitehurst. Steven was adopted by the groom and his last name was also changed to Whitehurst. At this time he moved to, and subsequently grew up in,

Harvey, Illinois Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,324 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Harvey is bordered by the villages of Dixmoor, Illinois, Dixmoor and Riverdale, Illinois, R ...

. After graduating from

Thornton Township High School Thornton Township High School, often simply referred to as Thornton is a public high school founded in 1899, located in Harvey, one of the South Suburbs of the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. The school is one of three administered by Thornton T ...

in 1984, Whitehurst attended

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

at Carbondale where he was a

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

student. He moved on to become a double degree high honors graduate of Thornton Community College—now

South Suburban College South Suburban College is a public community college in South Holland, Illinois. It has a second campus in Oak Forest, Illinois. History South Suburban College was founded in 1927 as Thornton Junior College. At that time, the college was an ext ...

—with degrees in history and geography. While there Whitehurst was inducted into the

Phi Theta Kappa Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society ( or PTK) is the international honor society of students attending open-access institutions and seeking associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, or other college credentials. Its headquarters is in Jackson, Mississippi ...

Honor Fraternity. He then graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

from

Chicago State University Chicago State University (CSU) is a predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of t ...

with a B.A. in history and a minor in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. Whitehurst later returned to Chicago State University to pursue additional educational credits in the history/ethnic studies graduate degree program. His political activities included participating in civil rights marches for racial/social justice; working as a canvasser for numerous political campaigns including those of Senator

Carol Moseley Braun Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun, also sometimes Moseley-Braun (born August 16, 1947), is a former U.S. Senator, an American diplomat, politician, and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. Prior to her Senate ...

, Judge

R. Eugene Pincham Robert Eugene Pincham (June 28, 1925 – April 3, 2008) was an American attorney active in the field of civil rights who served as both a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County and later a judge of the Appellate Court of Illinois. Early lif ...

, and the

Jesse Jackson presidential campaign, 1988 The 1988 Jesse Jackson presidential campaign was Jesse Jackson's second campaign for President of the United States. This time, his successes in the past made him a more credible candidate and he was both better financed and better organized. Alt ...

; and being appointed and briefly serving as the Illinois Solidarity Party's 2nd Congressional District State Central Committeeman and Thornton Township Committeeman. After college he worked for the United States

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

as an investigator. In 1991, Whitehurst returned to his alma mater --

—as the Academic Skills/Transition Advisor for the Student Support Services TRIO Grant Program. In 1994, he was promoted to an administrative post as the college's Director of Student Development, where he initiated, developed, and oversaw the school's first transfer articulation agreement with a historically Black college/university -

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates in t ...

. In the position of Director of Student Development he managed seven departments, both in academic and student support areas—including the Student Support Services Grant Program for which he had previously worked. In 1996, he was forced to retire due to health issues. Whitehurst is the author of the book ''Words From An Unchained Mind'' and contributed to ''Rodney King And The L.A. Rebellion: Analysis & Commentary By 13 Independent Black Writers''. Whitehurst was also among those featured on the nationally televised program ''Heroes: A Triumph Of Spirit, Vol. 4'', which highlighted positive individuals in the African-American community. His book and movie reviews have appeared in numerous publications. Steven has written pieces supporting

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

's presidential campaigns, pieces calling for

universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

in America, and for the legalization of marijuana.

Books

* ''Words From An Unchained Mind'' (United Brothers & Sisters Communications Systems, 1991. ) * ''Rodney King And The L.A. Rebellion: Analysis & Commentary By 13 Independent Black Writers'' (United Brothers & Sisters Communications Systems, 1992. )

Awards

* New Scriblerus Society Creative Excellence Award * Afrique Newsmagazine 1994 Malcolm X Award for Self-Actualization * 1995 Hero Award * Listed in "Who's Who In America" * Listed in "Who's Who Among African Americans" * Listed in "Who's Who In Writers, Editors & Poets"

Reviews

* ''The FBI's War On Black America'' Documentary By Denis Mueller and Deb Ellis (MPI Home Video, ) - Reviewed in "The National Newport News & Commentator," July/August 1992. * ''My Life With The

Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...

'' By

Akua Njeri Akua Njeri (formerly known as Deborah Johnson; born 1949/50) is an American writer, activist and former member of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. Njeri was present at the December 4, 1969, police raid in which her fiancé, Fred Ha ...

(Burning Spear Publications) - Reviewed in the "South Suburban Standard" Newspaper, January 9, 1992. * ''Culture of Violence: The Foundation of White America On Slavery and Genocide'' By Penny Hess (Burning Spear Publications) - Reviewed in the "Multicultural Publishers Exchange," January/February 1993. * ''The Last Speeches of

Huey P. Newton Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African-American revolutionary, notable as founder of the Black Panther Party. Newton crafted the Party's ten-point manifesto with Bobby Seale in 1966. Under Newton's leadershi ...

'' Presentations By

Omali Yeshitela Omali Yeshitela (born Joseph Waller on October 9, 1941) is an African revolutionary, political leader, theoretician and author. He is the founder and chairman of the African People's Socialist Party, which leads the Uhuru Movement. According ...

(Burning Spear Publications) - Reviewed in the "Multicultural Publishers Exchange," January/February 1993.

References

External links

Official Steven Whitehurst Website

Official Steven Whitehurst Facebook

Official Steven Whitehurst Tagged Profile

The Whitehurst Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehurst, Steven 1967 births Living people African-American atheists African-American poets African-American non-fiction writers People from Harvey, Illinois Poets from Chicago American political writers Activists for African-American civil rights People from Calumet City, Illinois American atheists American bloggers American male poets 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers American male bloggers 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American writers African-American male writers