Alex_Willingham

Alex Willingham

Alex Willingham

Professor and African scholar

Dr. Alex Wesley Willingham (October 28, 1940 – August 29, 2023) was a Professor of Political Science and Chair of the African American Studies Program at Williams College.[2] He was a founding member of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.[3]

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Early life and education

Willingham was born in Bradley, Arkansas to Asa and Minnie Willingham. He grew up in Louisiana and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. He further got his B.A. and M.A. from Southern University, Baton Rouge (1963) and the University of Iowa (1965) respectively.[4] He married Jennett Brown Willingham that same year. He then completed a Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina in 1974.[5]

Career

Willingham spent time on the Southern University faculty during the early 1970s and later joined Atlanta University as an associate professor until 1979. Between 1979 and 1988, he worked as a writer for the Shreveport Sun and a researcher at the Rockefeller Foundation and Southern Regional Council before joining Williams College as a professor of political science in 1989.[6] At Williams, he served as the Chair of the African American Studies program, director of the Williams College Multicultural Center, and Schumann Professor for Democratic Studies. He was named Professor of Political Science, emeritus when he retired in 2012.[7]

Activism

Willingham's activism began as a student at Southern University, where he participated in protests both on campus and in Baton Rouge.[citation needed] After becoming less involved in activism while working on his M.A. in Iowa, his focus was shifted towards civil and voting rights during his time at UNC.[6] After joining the Williams College faculty, Willingham continued his work by supporting civil rights groups such as the Georgia Legal Services, ACLU, NAACP-LDF, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.[2]

Selected Publications

Willingham, Alex W. and Brennan Center for Justice. 2002. Beyond the Color Line: Race, Representation, and Community in the New Century. New York, NY: Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.

Willingham, Alex W. 2009. “New Bottle, Same Drink? The Opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court on the Indiana Voter Identification Law.” The Journal of Race & Policy 5 (1): 91–112.

Willingham, Alex. 2019. “The Role of Pathology and Studying Race, Comments on Renewing Black Intellectual History: The Ideological and Material Foundations of African American Thought.” National Political Science Review 20 (1): 163–72.

References

  1. [1]
    McMiller, Emanuel L. 2012. "Dr. Alex Willingham Talks Activism, Then and Now" Williams College Law Journal, Volume I, Issue I.
  2. [2]
    "Alex Willingham". Africana Studies | Williams College. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  3. [3]
    Barker, Lucius Jefferson and National Conference of Black Political Scientists (NCOBPS). 1989. "New Perspectives in American Politics." National Political Science Review ; v. 1. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
  4. [4]
    Wallace, Sherri L., Robert C. Smith, Adolphus G. Belk, Gloria Braxton, Charisse Burden-Stelly, Tasha S. Philpot, and Wendy Smooth. 2020. “Chronicling Our Legacy of LeadershipThe Task Force Historical Record on the Founders of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.” National Review of Black Politics 1 (1): 80–131. https://doi.org/10.1525/nrbp.2020.1.1.80.
  5. [5]
    Wallace, Sherri L.; Smith, Robert C.; Belk, Adolphus G.; Braxton, Gloria; Burden-Stelly, Charisse; Philpot, Tasha S.; Smooth, Wendy (2020-01-21). "Chronicling Our Legacy of Leadership: The Task Force Historical Record on the Founders of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists". National Review of Black Politics. 1 (1): 80–131. doi:10.1525/nrbp.2020.1.1.80. ISSN 2688-0105.
  6. [6]
    "In Commemoration of Alex Willingham". Office of the President | Williams College. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  7. [7]
    "Alex P. Willingham, Professor of Political Science, Emeritus". Commencement. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
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