Motlow State to Feature Dr. Fredrick Douglass Dixon for African American History Month
November 13, 2019
Motlow State Community College will welcome Dr. Fredrick Douglass Dixon on Tuesday,
Feb. 23, when he presents The Death of Black Wall Street and the Myth of the American
Dream from 12-1:30 p.m. via Zoom.
The presentation is part of Motlow’s celebration of African American History Month, embracing and modeling diversity, equity, and inclusion. Motlow’s Access and Diversity Committee, Community Relations Office, NIXLA Fellows, and the Dean of Students office are cohosting the event.
Dr. Dixon is an educator and community advocate. He is the Director of the University of Wyoming’s Black Studies Center and an Assistant Professor in the African American and Diaspora Studies Department. Dr. Dixon teaches Introduction to African American Studies, Social Justice in the 21st Century, the Black Freedom Movement, and African American History.
He hosts The First Amendment: Historically Speaking, a public-access TV program that centers on and examines the accurate history of blacks in America.
To illustrate his depth and purpose, Dr. Dixon says, “The thrust of my existence is to elevate the whole of the community, particularly black students, to high levels of academic excellence.”
The Black Studies Center (BSC) is a new addition to the University of Wyoming and one of many university initiatives spearheaded by Dr. Dixon. The multi-purpose BSC creates an institutional platform dedicated to providing efforts and resources to support culturally responsive teaching, rural-community focused engagement, and evidence-based research related to black studies.
Through the BSC, he is hosting a four-part webinar series The State of Black Studies After 50 Years: A Critical Analysis, that examines components of the black studies field in education, providing an introduction to the BSC mission and goals. Motlow President Dr. Michael Torrence will present the third lecture in the series, The Miseducation of the Negro in Black Studies, Feb. 8, from 6-7:30 p.m.
Dr. Dixon’s commitment to connecting academia with the broader community includes working with several national academic and grassroots organizations, including the National Council for Black Studies and the Black Doctoral Network.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue University, a Master of Arts from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Ph. D. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
African American History Month, also known as Black History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a recognition of their central role in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as African American History Month.
For more information, contact Brenda Cannon at [email protected] or 931-393-1548.
Tennessee’s Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associates degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tbr.edu.