Newswise — The Spelman College administration and faculty consists of some of the country's most well-versed experts in the areas of race relations, gender issues, and insight on the late Martin Luther King Jr. Included on the College's list is:
Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D., the ninth president of Spelman College, is a highly respected author and race relations expert. Tatum is a clinical psychologist whose areas of research include Black families in White communities, racial identity in teens, and the role of race in the classroom. She has toured extensively, leading workshops on racial identity development and its impact in the classroom.
Her latest book, "Can We Talk about Race? And Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation," released in 2007, explores the social and educational implications of the growing racial isolation in our public schools. In her critically acclaimed 1997 book, "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race," she applies her expertise on race to argue that straight talk about racial identity is essential to the nation.
Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Ph.D., has spent decades researching gender issues. She is the founding director of the Women's Research and Resource Center and the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women's Studies at Spelman College.
Dr. Sheftall has published numerous African American and women's studies texts, which have been noted as seminal works by other scholars. Her book, "Gender Talk: The Struggle for Women's Equality in African American Communities," coauthored with Johnnetta Betsch Cole, is a controversial analysis of sexism and gender politics. She also co-edited the first anthology on Black women's literature, "Sturdy Black Bridges: Visions of Black Women in Literature," with Roseann P. Bell and Bettye Parker Smith.
Christine King Farris, associate professor of education and director of the Learning Resource Center at Spelman College, is a lecturer and civic advocate who has published two books about her brother, the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In her most recent book titled "My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," Farris shares the childhood experiences that lead to her brother becoming a champion of civil rights. Her first book titled "Martin Luther King: His Life and Dream," was published in observance of the first national holiday for Dr. King.
William Jelani Cobb, Ph.D., is an associate professor of history at Spelman College. He specializes in post-Civil War African American history as well as 20th century American politics. He works include, "To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic," which examines the evolution of hip-hop, from inception to modern day and "The Devil & Dave Chappelle and Other Essays," a collection of essays that take a critical look at popular culture.
About Spelman CollegeFounded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts a 79 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 11:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman. For more information, visit http://www.spelman.edu.
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