written by Akosua Lowery
“No one is alarmed when white scholars become experts on black thought because whites are generally considered qualified to study blacks. But when a Black scholar becomes an expert on white thought, a truly unique phenomenon will have arrived.” – Jacob H. Carruthers, Intellectual Warfare, 1999.
Dr. Jacob H. Carruthers
Professor Jacob Carruthers was born on February 15, 1930 in Dallas, Texas. He was a firm believer that a large part of liberating African American people came from understanding and connecting history, culture and heritage. He received a B.A. from Samuel Huston College in Austin, Texas in 1950; an M.A. from Texas Southern University in 1958; and a Ph.D. in Political Studies from the University of Colorado in 1966. From 1966 to 1968, Dr. Carruthers worked as an assistant professor at Kansas State College before joining the staff of Northeastern Illinois University’s Center for Inner City Studies (CICS). Carruthers, along with others shaped the CICS program into one that emphasizes self-determination, activism and the study of the global black community.
In this context, Carruthers earned respect as one of the world’s leading experts in classical African civilizations. His interests carried him throughout the continent of Africa, conducting study tours to Egypt, Ethiopia, the Nile Valley, Zimbabwe, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and other parts of West Africa. Dr. Carruthers passed away in 2004.
The Akosua Report: Facts on The African Diaspora, is written by Akosua Lowery. Follow her on Twitter @AkosuaLowery.
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