Clarence Christian, longtime professor of sociology and scholar of Black history, passed away on February 3. He was 81 years old.
Dr. Christian earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from historically Black LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee. While there, he was instrumental in leading the desegregation of mass transit and access to public libraries in the local area. Dr. Christian later earned his master of social work degree from the University of Chicago and his doctorate in philosophy and social research from The New School in New York City.
Throughout his career, Dr. Christian taught at several institutions, including LeMoyne-Owen College, Mississippi State University, and Rhodes College in Memphis, where he was the institution’s first Black professor. He also served as the social historian for the Tennessee Board of Regents. In recognition of his outstanding career in higher education, he was inducted into the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association’s Hall of Fame in 2024.
Dr. Christian was a member of numerous organizations, including the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the Lynching Sites Project of Memphis, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and the Second Congressional United Church of Christ. A dedicated supporter of his alma mater, Dr. Christian had stints as chair of the LeMoyne-Owen College Alumni Chapter’s Annual Fund and president of the LeMoyne-Owen College National Alumni Association.
