Black Scholars

Dr. Adrienne Washington recently became the first Black woman at the University of Pittsburgh to earn a Ph.D. in linguistics. When Dr. Washington read that the University offered studies in the Gullah language, she decided to study it and determine how language is used among Black people all around the world. Washington has had a […]

Mark C. Alexander, a longtime legal professor and scholar, was named the dean of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law last Friday. The position makes Alexander the first African-American to hold a post at the prestigious law school. Alexander, 51, is known in the law community as an expert of the First Amendment, penning […]

Dr. Marie M. Daly made history in 1947 after obtaining her Ph.D in chemistry, the first Black woman to do so. Marie Maynard Daly was…

Charles Ogletree has enjoyed an incredible career as an attorney, professor, media personality and champion of civil rights. Along with his several accomplishments on the…

They are referred to as ‘The Great Eight.’ That’s the collective name for eight Black women scholars who are on track to earn their Ph.D’s…

Merze Tate was a professor, scholar, author and diplomacy expert who achieved a series of notable firsts in her lifetime. Tate is the first African-American…

Dr. Jalaal Hayes (pictured, right) made history in 2015 after becoming the youngest person to earn a Ph.D from Delaware State University at the age of…

Dr. Mordecai Wyatt Johnson was a son of former slaves who became Howard University’s first Black president, raising the academic standards of the vaunted institution…

William S. Scarborough was born a slave in Georgia, but went on to become one of the nation’s leading scholars in Greek and Latin literature.…

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D in the United States. She was also the first woman to earn…

Any fan of hip hop knows that prison culture and experience is a fundamental part of rap music.  For good or bad, nearly every “gangsta” rapper in America has either been to prison, has a friend in prison, is on his way to prison or is in prison right now.  Lil Wayne and TI, two […]

This week, I got together with a coalition of other concerned citizens and met at the steps of the county courthouse. We then marched around the jail to fight for the rights of two people of color, Chuniece Patterson and Raul Pinet, both of whom recently died while in police custody. The march and the […]