Kennell Jackson Jr.

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Kennell Jackson was an African American man born on March 19, 1941, in Farmville, Virginia. His mother, Lottie, was a school teacher and his father, Kennell, was a building contractor. He attended Robert Russa Moton High School and graduated in 1958. He later received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Chemistry in 1962 from the Hampton Institute. He graduated second in his class and was awarded special distinction for dissertation. He later received his Ph. D. from the University of California in 1970. After graduating, Jackson became an expert in East Africa and African American cultural history. He was a fan of collecting books, as well as modern art.


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[edit] Accomplishments

From 1967 to 1969 Jackson did research in Kenya for eighteen months. Later in 1969 is when Jackson first began teaching at Stanford University as an assistant professor. It was not until 1977 when Jackson became an Associate Professor. He became active with the group African and African American Studies for several years and became director from the years 1980 until 1989. He was also a Branner Hall Resident Fellow for twenty five years.

Jackson became most known for his book, “America is Me: The Most Asked and Least Understood Questions About Black American History”, which was published in 1996. He also helped co-edit, “Black Cultural Traffic: Crossroads in Global Performance and Popular Culture”, which was published by the University of Michigan Press. In addition, Jackson was accountable for making the Amy Biehl Foundation known in Africa.

During his teaching career, Jackson was awarded some awards including the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for Undergraduate Education and the Allan V. Cox Medal for excellence.

As the Resident Fellow of Branner Hall, the largest all-freshman dormitory on the Stanford campus, Jackson was a leader and innovator in residential education and in experiential education, believing that residences should be places of learning, experience, and discussion and a major part of student intellectual and emotional development. Jackson promoted student museum exhibitions in the residence, such as an annual T-shirt museum, invited guest speakers and debates (often between freshmen and major international figures such as Edward Teller, and performances. His humanistic view of student potential was often at odds with that of the Stanford mainstream, but also unleashed creative and expressive talent that the university did not promote. In 1985, for example, Jackson helped inspire a freshman seminar in the residence, Unseen America, taught by David Lempert, that eventually led to the founding of an NGO for international experiential education.

Before his death, Jackson was at work on a book about student life and changing university attitudes towards students, chronicling his experiences with students at Branner Hall.

[edit] Death

Right before Jackson died, he was promoted to Full Professor at Stanford University. He later died on November 21st of 2005 at Stanford Hospital at the age of sixty four. He died of pulmonary fibrosis.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • David Lempert, Escape from the Ivory Tower: Student Adventures in Democratic Experiential Education, Jossey Bass, San Francisco, 1996.