Honors & Awards

Bruce Ovbiagele Honored by the American Stroke Association

Bruce Ovbiagele, an associate dean and professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, was presented with the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Award which recognizes lifetime contributions to the investigation, management, mentorship and community service in the field of racial and ethnic stroke disparities or related disciplines.

Antoinette Jackson Honored by the American Historical Association

Dr. Jackson, professor and chair of the anthropology department at the University of South Florida, was honored for her work to recover and restore Black cemeteries. As founder and director of the Black Cemetery Network, she has been able to retrieve a rich but forgotten history of Black cemeteries as an integral part of Black life in the United States.

Austin Community College District Names Its African American Cultural Center to Honor Roland C. Hayes

For over five decades, Roland Hayes has taught history and African American studies at Austin Community College, where he founded the African American Cultural Center. Earlier this month, the college renamed the center in his honor.

M. Ray McKinnie Honored With the George Washington Carver Award

“This is an honor that goes far beyond recognition,” said Dr. McKinnie, administrator for cooperative extension at North Carolina A&T State University. “This award validates much of what I’ve strived for over the years and tells me I’ve gone about my work in the right way.”

Two Black Administrators at UNC Charlotte Recognized for Advancing Fraternity and Sorority Life

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Kevin Bailey, vice chancellor for student affairs, and Michelle Guobadia, senior director of student engagement and director of fraternity and sorority life, were both recently honored by the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors for their outstanding commitment to supporting fraternity and sorority students.

Morgan State University’s Stacyann Nelson Receives National Award in Experimental Physics

Dr. Nelson has received the 2025 Joseph A. Johnson Award of Excellence, presented jointly by the American Institute of Physics and the National Society of Black Physicists. The award recognizes early-career experimental physicists for their scientific innovation, mentorship, and service.

Bernard Appiah Recognized for Outstanding Contributions to Public Health Communication

Dr. Appiah studies how communication strategies can influence public health decision-making. He is known for developing an innovative radio broadcasting approach that uses entertainment-education to disseminate public health information to underserved communities.

Justene Hill Edwards Wins the 2025 Frederick Douglass Book Prize

The Frederick Douglass Book Prize is presented annually by Yale University in honor of the preceding year's best book on topics of slavery, resistance, or abolition. Dr. Edwards, associate professor at the University of Virginia, was honored for her latest book, Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman's Bank (W.W. Norton and Company, 2024).

James L. Moore III Named a Living Legend by the National Alliance of Black School Educators

Dr. Moore, distinguished professor at Ohio State University, is widely known for his research on the educational experiences of African American men. At Ohio State, he serves as vice provost for diversity and inclusion and executive director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male.

Mississippi State’s Jesse Goliath Wins National Award in Forensic Sciences

Dr. Goliath, an assistant professor of anthropology and Middle Eastern culture at Mississippi State University, is an expert in skeletal biology. He focuses his research and community outreach efforts on supporting marginalized populations and improving outcomes for missing and unidentified persons, particularly in underserved regions in the rural American South.

A Pair of New Administrators Join the Forthcoming Xavier University of Louisiana Medical School

DeQuan M. Smith is the inaugural assistant dean for student success and Danita Beck Wickwire is the inaugural executive director of development for the Xavier Oscher College of Medicine, which is slated to become the fifth medical school at a historically Black educational institution.

Yale’s Marlene Daut Wins the 2025 Haiti Book Prize

Dr. Daut, professor of French and of Black studies at Yale University, was honored for her newest book, The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe, which examines the complex political and intellectual life of early nineteenth-century Haiti.

The Association of Black Women Physicians Presents Its 2025 Humanitarian Award to Gail Wyatt

Among many other accomplishments, Dr. Wyatt is known for being the first person of color to become a licensed psychologist in the state of California, the first Black woman to be named full professor at UCLA's medical school, and the first person of color to receive training as a sexologist.

Langston University’s Corey Moore Receives National Award for Disability Studies Research

Dr. Moore is a professor and founding chair of the department of rehabilitation and disability studies at Langston University in Oklahoma. He was recently honored by the National Rehabilitation Association for his research contributions that have improved services to people with disabilities.

Princeton’s Patricia Smith Wins the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry

Professor Smith was honored for her newest poetry collection, The Intentions of Thunder. She currently teaches creating writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University.

Joycelyn Elders Honored by the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation

An expert in pediatric endocrinology, Dr. Elders was the second woman and the first African American to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. She currently serves as a professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

The 2025 Recipients of Harvard’s W. E. B. Du Bois Medal

The W. E. B. Du Bois Medal is presented annually by Harvard University's Hutchins Center for African & African American Research in recognition of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to African and African American culture.

FAMU’s Areto Imoukhuede Receives National Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law

Professor Imoukhuede was recently honored by the Education Law Association for his article, “The Walk Away from Racial Equality,” which examines how recent Supreme Court decisions have shifted away from Brown v. Board of Education's vision of racial equality.

Yale’s Elijah Anderson Receives National Award for Ethnographic Research on Urban Crime

Dr. Anderson has studied inequality, structural racism, and crime and violence for nearly five decades. The author of five books, he currently serves as the the Sterling Professor of Sociology and of Black studies at Yale University.

Dartmouth to Construct First Campus Building Named for a Black Alum

“Dartmouth wasn’t made in my image, but it is possible to remake it to include my image. There has been a continual making and remaking of who Dartmouth is for and who belongs here,” said alumna and television mogul Shonda Rhimes, who has donated $15 million to construct the Shonda Rhimes Hall - the first Dartmouth building named for a woman or a Black alum.
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Julius Edwards Named President of Eastern Maine Community College

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Dr. Edwards has been serving as vice chancellor of academic affairs at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. He is slated to become the new president of Eastern Maine Community College on April 1.

Olympia Ross Duhart Appointed Dean of Nova Southeastern University’s Law School

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Duhart has been a faculty member with the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University in Florida for over two decades. An expert in legal writing, Duhart recently completed a second term as co-president of the Society of American Law Teachers.

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