Yohuru R. Williams is an American academic, author and activist. Williams is a Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and Founding Director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas. He was previously the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota). He was previously a professor of history and the dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences
A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly an individual institution or a unit within a university that focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, although they frequently include programs and ...
at
Fairfield University and former chief historian of the
Jackie Robinson Foundation
The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a national, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which gives scholarships to minority youths for higher education, as well as preserves the legacy of Baseball Hall of Fame member Jackie Robinson. The foundation ...
. Williams is a notable scholar of the
Civil Rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
and
Black Power movements. In 2009, ''
Diverse'' magazine named Williams one of its Top 10 Emerging Scholars Under 40.
Early life and education
Williams was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and is a graduate of the
Fairfield College Preparatory School in
Fairfield, Connecticut. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in history from the
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...
in 1993. He then earned a doctorate degree in history from
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
in 1998.
Career
Williams is a member of the faculty of
University of St. Thomas where he is a nationally recognized expert on social studies pedagogy and history curriculum. He began his career as a professor of History at Delaware State University where he also served as Director of Black Studies and Social Studies Education. He joined the faculty at Fairfield University in 2005. Williams became a full professor in 2012 and then served as the chair of the history department and the director of black studies. In 2014, Williams became the associate VP for academic affairs and was awarded the Fairfield University Martin Luther King Jr. Vision Award. In 2015, he became the interim dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences
A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly an individual institution or a unit within a university that focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, although they frequently include programs and ...
.
During a brief leave from Fairfield University, from 2011-2012, Williams served as Vice President for Public Outreach and Community Education at the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York City. Williams continued on as the chief historian for the
Jackie Robinson Foundation
The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a national, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which gives scholarships to minority youths for higher education, as well as preserves the legacy of Baseball Hall of Fame member Jackie Robinson. The foundation ...
from 2012 to 2014.
Williams has made a variety of local and national media appearances, most notably in
Stanley Nelson
Stanley Earl Nelson Jr. (born June 7, 1951) is an American documentary filmmaker and a MacArthur Fellows Program, MacArthur Fellow known as a director, writer and producer of documentaries examining African-American history and experiences.
He i ...
's 2016 documentary "
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution", as a primary commentator in
Ken Burns 2016
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
documentary "
Jackie Robinson" and on the
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
's online documentary on the World War I "
Harlem Hell Fighters." In September 2016, he appeared as a guest commentator with
Marc Lamont Hill during
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
live coverage of the historic opening of the
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...
on the National Mall in Washington, DC. He is a regular political commentator on the Cliff Kelley Show on WVON, Chicago.
[ He is also a frequent writer for ]The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
and LA Progressive.
In 2016, Williams joined the board of directors of the Network for Public Education and the board of trustees of the University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...
.
In 2022, Williams joined the advisory board of Voters of Tomorrow.
Scholarly work
William research interests include African American history, civil rights, Black Power movements, African-American constitutional and legal history, urban history and 20th-century American history.[ He is author or co-author of several books on the civil rights and black power movements. His scholarly articles have appeared in the American Bar Association's Insights on Law and Society, The Organization of American Historians Magazine of History, The Black Scholar, The Journal of Black Studies, Pennsylvania History, Delaware History, and the Black History Bulletin.]
Books
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References
External links
Fairfield University profile
The Huffington Post profile
Yohuru Williams & Associates website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Yohuru
Writers from Bridgeport, Connecticut
University of Scranton alumni
Howard University alumni
Fairfield University faculty
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) faculty
Delaware State University faculty
American university and college faculty deans
Historians from Connecticut
Historians from Minnesota
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
American male non-fiction writers
Fairfield College Preparatory School alumni