Howard University recently announced that activist and Democratic-nominee for governor in Georgia, Stacey Abrams, will join their staff.
According to the HBCU, Abrams will join as the first person to hold the Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics. With her new role, she will help conduct research and start discussions around finding solutions to issues affecting communities of the African diaspora. Working alongside other Howard University faculty members, Abrams will also hold the Ronald W. Walters Speakers Series to start conversations with a variety of guests on these topics of political issues.
The former representative will begin her work starting from this September.
“I am honored to serve as the inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics, having had the privilege of knowing and learning from Dr. Walters,” said Abrams in the official statement released by Howard University. “We are at an inflection point for American and international democracy, and I look forward to engaging Howard University’s extraordinary students in a conversation about where they can influence, shape and direct the critical public policy decisions we face.”
“Through this post, I hope to emulate Dr. Walter’s diasporic lens on our world and be a part of how Howard University continues to contribute to the broader political discourse,” she added.
Abrams herself is an HBCU graduate; in 1995, she graduated from Spelman College with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. After graduating from the University of Texas and Yale University, Abrams entered the law career field as the Deputy City Attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2007, she started her political career as a state representative in the Georgia General Assembly, assuming the position and holding it for a decade.
With this position, Abrams became the first woman to take part in the Georgia General Assembly. She also made history when she became the first Black woman to be nominated for governor.
“Stacey Abrams has proven herself an essential voice and eager participant in protecting American democracy – not just for certain populations, but for everyone with the fundamental right to make their voices heard,” said the President of the HBCU, Wayne A. I. Frederick, per a statement. “As the inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair, Ms. Abrams’ selection not only honors the work and legacy of renowned political strategist and scholar Dr. Ronald Walters, it expands on that legacy by bringing Howard students in dialogue with a contemporary candidate whose work has directly influenced today’s political landscape.”
The position is named after the late Dr. Ronald W. Walters. Previously a political science professor at Howard University and the director of the African American Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland, Dr. Walters was renowned for his teachings on the issues concerning communities of the African diaspora.
