John Hamilton McWhorter V is an American linguist and political commentator. He is the author of a number of books on language and on race relations. His linguistic specialty is creole and the process through which it forms.

Education

McWhorter was born and raised in Philadelphia. He attended Friends Select School in Philadelphia, and after tenth grade was accepted to Simon’s Rock College, where he earned an A.A. degree. Later, he attended Rutgers University and received a B.A. in French in 1985. He received a master’s degree in American Studies from New York University and a Ph.D. in linguistics in 1993 from Stanford University.

Career

After graduation McWhorter was an associate professor of linguistics at Cornell University from 1993 to 1995 before taking up a position as associate professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1995 until 2003. He left that position to become a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, and a columnist for the New York Sun. Since 2008, he has been a lecturer at Columbia University.

Author & Commentator

He has published a number of books on linguistics and on race relations and makes regular public radio and television appearances on related subjects. He has spoken many times on National Public Radio and is an occasional contributor on Bloggingheads.tv. He has appeared twice on Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, once in the profanity episode in his capacity as a linguistics professor, and again in the slavery reparations episode for his political views and knowledge of race relations. He is also the author of the courses titled “Understanding Linguistics: The Science of Language” and “Story of Human Language” for The Teaching Company. His 2003 Authentically Black has been interview-reviewed on booknotes.org.

Dr. McWhorter writes and comments extensively on race, ethnicity and cultural issues for the Manhattan Institute. His Book, All About the Beat: Why Hip Hop Can’t Save Black America (Gotham Books), pointed beyond the empty gestures of the “hip-hop revolution” to a brave new politics for Black America, calling for a renewed sense of purpose and pride in black communities. He also writes for several online venues including WNYC & The Root. As a matter of fact, The Root is where BSI learned of him – when he responded to the recent NY Times article and its report of about the achievement gap and data distilled from National Assessment for Educational Progress.

Some Books by Dr. McWhorter

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Information from: http://www.answers.com/topic/john-mcwhorter

Image from: http://www.wnyc.org/articles/its-free-country/2010/sep/09/bullhorn-john-mcwhorter-all-talk-and-no-writing-politics/

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Ivan Gladstone Van Sertima (26 January 1935 – 25 May 2009) was a historian, linguist and anthropologist at Rutgers University in the United States. He was noted for his Afrocentric theory of pre-Columbian contact between Africa and the Americas. He was born in Kitty Village, Guyana, when Guyana was still a British colony. He remained a British citizen.

Education

Ivan Van Sertima completed primary and secondary school in Guyana, and started writing poetry. He attended the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London from 1959. In addition to producing an array of creative writing, Van Sertima completed his undergraduate studies in African languages and literature at SOAS in 1969, where he graduated with honors. During his studies he learned Swahili and Hungarian.

He worked for several years in Great Britain as a journalist, doing weekly broadcasts to the Caribbean and Africa. In doing field work in Africa, he compiled a dictionary of Kiswahili legal terms. In 1970 Van Sertima immigrated to the United States, where he entered Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey for graduate work.

Career

He began his teaching career at Rutgers University as an instructor in 1972. In 1977 he completed his master’s degree – he was Associate Professor of African Studies in the Department of Africana Studies. As editor of the Journal of African Civilizations and author of numerous books, he has addressed topics in literature, linguistics, anthropology and history. He wrote several books in which he argued that the Kings of the 25th Dynasty of Egypt were black Nubians.

His 1976 book, They Came Before Columbus, was a bestseller and achieved widespread fame for his claims of prehistoric African influences in Central and South America. It was criticized by academic specialists.

Other books by Ivan Van Sertima & The Journal of African Civilizations (15):

Other Writings

Van Sertima also treated the topic of African scientific contributions in his essay for the volume African Renaissance, published in 1999. This was a record of the conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 1998 on the theme of the African Renaissance. His article was entitled The Lost Sciences of Africa: An Overview. In it he presents early African advances in metallurgy, astronomy, mathematics, architecture, engineering, agriculture, navigation, medicine and writing. He claimed that higher learning, in Africa as elsewhere, was the preserve of elites in the centres of civilizations, rendering them very vulnerable in the event (as happened in Africa) of the destruction of those centers.

On July 7, 1987 Van Sertima appeared before a United States Congressional committee in opposition to describing Christopher Columbus’s initial contact with America as a discovery.

“You cannot really conceive of how insulting it is to Native Americans . . . to be told they were discovered.”

Criticism

Van Sertima’s work has been criticized by academics for making ill-founded Afrocentric claims. A 1997 Journal of Current Anthropology article criticized in detail many elements of Van Sertima’s 1976 book They Came Before Columbus. The book had not earlier received a thorough professional academic review. They stated that in claiming African origins for prehistoric Olmec culture (in present-day Mexico), Van Sertima had ignored the work of Central American researchers. They stated no evidence of a prehistoric African influence or presence had been found in controlled archeological excavations in the New World. The reviewers also wrote that Olmec stone heads only superficially appear to be African and did not resemble the Nubian populations which Van Sertima claimed as their originators. They ruled as “fallacious” his claims for the diffusion of pyramid building and mummification. Additionally they accused Van Sertima’s cultural outlook of being disparaging to Native American achievements. Van Sertima wrote a response to be included in the article (as is standard practice) but withdrew it because of the journal’s policy that reprints must include the entire article and would have had to include a response (written but not published) to his response. Instead Van Sertima replied to his critics in another publication.

In a New York Times 1977 review of Van Sertima’s works, British scholar Glyn Daniel labelled Van Sertima’s work as “ignorant rubbish”, concluding that the writings of Van Sertima (and Barry Fell, whom he was also reviewing) “give us badly argued theories based on fantasies”. Dean R. Snow, a professor of anthropology, in 1981 wrote that Van Sertima “uses the now familiar technique of stringing together bits of carefully selected evidence, each surgically removed from the context that would give it a rational explanation”. Snow continued, “The findings of professional archaeologists and physical anthropologists are misrepresented so that they seem to support the [Van Sertima] hypothesis.”

In response to Glyn Daniels’ review, Dr. Clarence Weiant, who worked in Mexican archeology for the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Institution, and who participated in the excavation of the first giant heads in Mexico, wrote to the N.Y. Times that Dr. Ivan Van Sertima’s work represents six or seven years of meticulous research based upon archeology, egyptology, African history, oceanography, astronomy, botany, rare Arabic and Chinese manuscripts, the letters and journals of early American explorers and the observations of physical anthropologists. Dr. Weiant said that he’s convinced of the soundness of Van Sertima’s conclusions. In 1998 Dr Van Sertima countered Journal of Current Anthropology criticisms [although a reference to this cannot be found].

Family

Van Sertima retired in 2006. He died on 25 May 2009 aged 74. He was survived by his wife and four adult children.

His widow, Jacqueline, said she will continue to publish the Journal of African Civilization and plans to publish a book of his poetry.

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Information courtesy of wikipedia.

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Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis, a godly woman, a bearer of much fruit during the years that were allotted to her, and a woman of dignity; the adored third child and second daughter of The Rev. John E. Williams Sr. and Mrs. Marjorie Clark Williams, parents who reared their nine children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, has passed into life eternal.

Childhood

She grew up in Haskell, OK where during her early life, her giftedness in writing, literature, speaking and dramatic interpretation began to find expression. She cherished her parents and enjoyed growing up in a large active family of sisters and brothers as they became part of several congregations pastored by their father in small Oklahoma towns. At the age of eight, she gave her heart and life to Christ and was baptized by her father, the late Rev. J.E. Williams, Sr. She graduated from the Booker T. Washington High School with honors and began her academic career at Langston University in Langston, OK.

After completing her undergraduate and graduate studies and making enriching contributions at several universities, she became a member of the New Paltz community, where she met and married her beloved David Lewis, and they reared their family, and for years provided a welcoming home for additional children who needed loving parents on a short or long term basis.

Service

For the past 25 years, she and her family have been members of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Poughkeepsie (The Rev. E. Clayton Wade, Pastor), where she served as Superintendent of the Church School, Chair of the Board of Christian Education Ministry, teacher for the Junior/High Class, and Director of Black History Month programs. As Chair of the Christian Education Ministry, she and other board members organized many of the educational programs at the church, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commemoration and Scholarship and Recognition Sunday.

Up until a few days ago, she immersed herself in the work that she loved on behalf of the students of SUNY New Paltz, continuing to read and give feedback on research papers from her hospital bed. Her professional role was Department Chair and Associate Professor of Linguistics and Literature in the Department of Black Studies at SUNY New Paltz. A related role, which she valued highly was that of Mentor to the students of the Scholar’s Mentorship Program of which she was the Director and one of the founding members. The SMP was a networking initiative for general admission students of color and interested students of all ethnic groups.

Here is a clip of Dr. Wade-Lewis showing her support for Edgar Rodriquez:

Education

Her academic credentials and achievements were numerous, multifaceted and outstanding. In 1988, she was the first African-American woman to earned a Ph.D. in Linguistics from New York University. She also earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Langston University, Langston, OK, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, and a Master’s degree in English from Oklahoma State University.

Career

Her range of experience as a college level instructor and professor before coming to SUNY New Paltz included teaching English and Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, CA; University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE; University of Texas, Austin, TX, and being an independent researcher at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY.

She began her association with SUNY New Paltz in 1974 as an Assistant Professor in the Black Studies Dept. For the next 35 years and up until just a few days ago, she performed in roles as varied as teaching, administering the Affirmative Action Program, directing the Linguistics program and directing the Scholar’s Mentorship Program. In addition to directing the mentorship program, she was advisor to several student organizations, including African Women’s Alliance, the New Day Theater Ensemble, and the Xi Mu Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Awards

Through the years, she was the recipient of numerous fellowships, awards and grants. To name a few: appointed Faculty Fellow in the Office of Folk Life Program, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC, summer of 1986; received the National Endowment for the Humanities Travel to Collections Grant for Archival Research in the Turner Collection, Northwestern University Library, Evantston, IL, spring of 1993; received Sabbaticals, SUNY New Paltz, in the spring of 1993, spring of 2002 and spring of 2009; received Grant for Research and Creative Projects Award for 2003-04, and was appointed to the Board of the Reizod Foundation, December 2003; received Exemplary Program Award for the Scholar’s Mentorship Program from Pi Chapter of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, April 2004; Exemplary Advisor Award from Voices of Unity Gospel Choir at its 25th Anniversary Concert, November 2005, others in 2006, 2007 and 2008; received 2009 Salute to Black Achievers Award for Education at the Annual Black Achievers Celebration, Beulah Baptist Church, Poughkeepsie, February 2009.

Author

Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis

Dr. Wade-Lewis wrote and had published hundreds of journal articles, book reviews and other writings. Just a few of her publications are: “The Black Aesthetic in the Black Novel,” co-authored by Melvin Wade; “The Censorship of Black Books,” Lorenzo Dow Turner: First African American Linguist, “The Impact of the Turner/Herskovits Connection on Linguistics and Anthropology,” “Beryl Bailey: Africanist Woman Linguist in New York State,” “The Status of Semantic Items from African Languages in English,” “Lorenzo Dow Turner: Beyond Gullah Studies,” and several critical articles on African American women writers, among them, Toni Morrison.

Her book, Lorenzo Dow Turner: Father of Gullah Studies, the first full-length biography on Turner (the University of South Carolina Press, 2007) won the College Language Association 2008 Creative Scholarship Award.

\Her professional works that were in progress included: “African Naming Practices in the Novels of Octavia Butler,” and “Fatima Massaquoi: Liberian Woman Anthropologist.”

Professional Associations

Keynote speaker, lecturer, workshop leader, discussion leader, mistress of ceremonies, conference organizer, panelist, fiscal designee, chair, committee secretary/treasurer, thesis advisor, director, host are roles and designations that she fulfilled as member of the university community, and as she reached out to work with church, community, school districts and others. Her professional associations were many, including the New York African Studies Association and the Linguistic Society of America, College Language Association.

Dr. Wade-Lewis believed in doing whatever her hands found to do. She was past Chair of the New Paltz School District Task Force for Change and Diversity; secretary of the advocacy group, Concerned Parents of New Paltz, a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and served as a board member of the Reizod Foundation, an organization founded to give new shoes to children in need, for which she chaired the Volunteer Committee.

Personal Life & Family

In her personal life, she was known for her many kindnesses to family and friends. It gave her joy to lavish thoughtful and sometimes expensive gifts on her husband, children, sisters and brothers, and she did not forget her friends. She loved preparing elegant dinners for her family, special occasion events for her university colleagues and writing birthday stories for her siblings. She, along with family, traveled great distances to support family and friends on their special occasions. She was in the process of planning an Alaskan cruise to salute her daughter in celebration of a milestone birthday in the summer. She organized family meetings for her siblings, and when there was a crisis in the family, she was the planner of the prayer vigil, conference call, or financial assistance or whatever was needed. Her favorite hymn, “I’m Gonna Trust in the Lord”, and favorite scripture Phillippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Despite many odds, she lived her life just that way with that “God kind of faith”.

Read what her students thought of her on ratemyprofessors.com.

Some students have even named a cafe server (computer) after her at /Root Cafe.

Home-going services were held for Dr. Wade-Lewis this past Tuesday & Wednesday. May she rest in peace.

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Information obtained from Hudson Valley Press.

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Anika Noni Rose was born in Bloomfield, Connecticut to Claudia and John Rose, Jr., a corporate counsel for the city of Hartford. In her freshman year in high school, she appeared in a school production and caught the acting bug. She then attended Florida A&M University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre, thereafter studying drama at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, California.

Career

Tiana from The Princess and the Frog

Rose moved to New York and after three months she secured the role of Rusty in Broadway’s Footloose. She followed Footloose with numerous workshops and two musicals using pre-existing song catalogs, Eli’s Comin’ off-Broadway and Me and Mrs. Jones with Lou Rawls in Philadelphia. Both of the full-scale tuners were rumored for transfers, but neither made it anywhere after their limited engagements ended. Rose’s big Broadway break was getting cast as Tonya Pinkins’ character Caroline’s daughter in Caroline, or Change.

In 2004, Rose was awarded the Theatre World Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, for Caroline, or Change.

Anika Rose’s debut in movies came with the 1999 film King of the Bingo Game as “film noir female”. In 2003, she played the role of Kaya in From Justin to Kelly, in 2004 she performed inTemptation, followed by Surviving Christmas as a singer in the choir. In 2006, Rose starred in Dreamgirls as Lorrell Robinson with Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx andEddie Murphy. She also stars alongside Jill Scott in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency directed by Anthony Minghella.

Anika Rose is scheduled to appear in the upcoming films Just Add Water, Razor. She is also the voice of Disney’s1st Black princess and lead character, Tiana, in the animated feature The Princess and the Frog (opening tonight). Disney promised to return to 2 special Disney traditions with this animation: a Broadway-style musical sound track and traditional hand-drawn 2D animation.

Awards & Nominations

Awards

• 1998: Dean Goodman Choice Award – Valley Song
• 1998: Garland/Drama Logue Award – Valley Song
• 1999: S.F. Bay Guardian Upstage/Downstage Award – Valley Song and Threepenny Opera
• 2001: OBIE Award – Eli’s Comin’
• 2004: Clarence Derwent Award – Caroline, or Change
• 2004: Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress – Caroline, or Change
• 2004: Theatre World Award – Caroline, or Change
• 2004: Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Caroline, or Change

Nominations

• 2004: Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – Caroline, or Change
• 2007: Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Dreamgirls
• 2007: Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture – Dreamgirls
• 2008: Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Mini-Series/ Television Movie – The Starter Wife
• 2008: Grammy Award Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media- Dreamgirls

Information was obtained from the wikipedia pages about Anika Rose and The Princess and the Frog.

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