Ron Walters
Encyclopedia
Ronald W. "Ron" Walters (July 20, 1938 – September 10, 2010) was an American scholar known worldwide for his knowledge of African-American
politics
through his leadership and his writing. He was director of the African American Leadership Institute and Scholar Practitioner Program, Distinguished Leadership Scholar at the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, and respected professor in government and politics at the University of Maryland
.
Born in Wichita, Kansas
in 1938, died in Bethesda, Maryland
in 2010.
, the 20-year-old Walters organized the Dockum Drug Store sit-in
in July 1958, which led to the desegregation of drugstores in Wichita, Kansas
more than 18 months before the more widely-publicized Greensboro sit-ins
began in February 1960.
Walters received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Government with Honors from Fisk University
1963 and both his M.A. in African Studies 1966 and Ph.D. in International Studies 1971 from American University
. He has served as professor and chair of the political science department at Howard University
, assistant professor and chair of Afro-American Studies at Brandeis University
, and assistant professor of political science at Syracuse University
. He has also served as visiting professor at Princeton University
and as a fellow of the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
. He is a former member of the governing council of the American Political Science Association
and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Ralph Bunch Institute of the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. Walters was a distinguished member of Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternity.
In 1984 Walters served as campaign manager and consultant for Reverend Jesse Jackson
during his two presidential bids. He also served as the senior policy staff member for congressmen Charles Diggs, Jr. and William Gray
.
Walters published well over 100 academic articles and seven books. One book, Black Presidential Politics in America, won the Bunche Prize.
Walters also has appeared on television many times, going on popular shows such as CNN
’s Crossfire
, The Jesse Jackson Show, CBS News Nightline, and Evening Exchange. He has appeared on radio shows, such as All Things Considered
and Living Room.
Walters was married to Patricia Ann Walters, and lived in Silver Spring
, Maryland
. He died from lung cancer
at the age of 72.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
through his leadership and his writing. He was director of the African American Leadership Institute and Scholar Practitioner Program, Distinguished Leadership Scholar at the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, and respected professor in government and politics at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
.
Born in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
in 1938, died in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
in 2010.
Career
As president of the local NAACP Youth CouncilNAACP youth council
The NAACP Youth Council is a branch of the NAACP in which youth are actively involved. In past years, council participants organized under the council's name to make major strides in the 1950s and 1960s Civil Rights Movement...
, the 20-year-old Walters organized the Dockum Drug Store sit-in
Dockum Drug Store sit-in
The Dockum Drug Store sit-in was one of the first organized lunch-counter sit-ins for the purpose of integrating segregated establishments in the United States. The protest began in July 1958 in Wichita, Kansas at the Dockum Drug Store, a store in the old Rexall chain, in which protesters would sit...
in July 1958, which led to the desegregation of drugstores in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
more than 18 months before the more widely-publicized Greensboro sit-ins
Greensboro sit-ins
The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests which led to the Woolworth's department store chain reversing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States....
began in February 1960.
Walters received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Government with Honors from Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
1963 and both his M.A. in African Studies 1966 and Ph.D. in International Studies 1971 from American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
. He has served as professor and chair of the political science department at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, assistant professor and chair of Afro-American Studies at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, and assistant professor of political science at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. He has also served as visiting professor at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and as a fellow of the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He is a former member of the governing council of the American Political Science Association
American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903, it publishes three academic journals...
and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Ralph Bunch Institute of the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. Walters was a distinguished member of Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
fraternity.
In 1984 Walters served as campaign manager and consultant for Reverend Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
during his two presidential bids. He also served as the senior policy staff member for congressmen Charles Diggs, Jr. and William Gray
William Gray
-Religious figures and public officials:*William Gray , American politician and merchant who became one of the wealthiest men of his era*William H...
.
Walters published well over 100 academic articles and seven books. One book, Black Presidential Politics in America, won the Bunche Prize.
Walters also has appeared on television many times, going on popular shows such as CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
’s Crossfire
Crossfire (TV series)
Crossfire was a current events debate television program that aired from 1982 to 2005 on CNN. Its format was designed to present and challenge the opinions of a politically liberal pundit and a conservative pundit.-Format:...
, The Jesse Jackson Show, CBS News Nightline, and Evening Exchange. He has appeared on radio shows, such as All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
and Living Room.
Walters was married to Patricia Ann Walters, and lived in Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He died from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at the age of 72.
Works and publications
- Black Presidential Politics in America
- Pan Africanism in the African Diaspora
- White Nationalism, Black Interests: Conservative Public Policy and the Black Community
- Freedom is Not Enough: Black Voters, Black Candidates, and American Presidential Politics
- The Legitimacy to Lead
- Standing Up in America's Heartlands: Sitting in Before Greensboro
Awards
- Ralph Bunche Prize
- 2-time winner of the Best Book award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientist (NCOBPS)
- Distinguished faculty award from Howard University
- Distinguished Scholar/Activist Award, The Black Scholar Magazine
- W.E.B. DuBois/Frederick Douglas Award, African Heritage Studies Association
- Ida Wells Barnett Award, Association of Black School Educators
- Fannie Lou Hammer Award, National Conference of Black Political Scientist
- Distinguished Faculty Contributions to the campus Diversity, University of Maryland
- Wells-W.E.B. DuBois Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the National Council for Black Studies
Sources
- Academy of Leadership: Ron Walters. (2005). Retrieved March 6, 2007 from http://www.academy.umd.edu/AboutUs/staff/RWalters.htm.
- Black World Today. (2006). Retrieved March 7, 2007 from http://www.tbwt.com.
- History Makers: Ron Walters Biography. (2003). Retrieved March 7, 2007 from http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=627&category=educationMakers.
- PBS Think Tank: Biography: Ron Walters. (2003). Retrieved March 7, 2007 from http://www.pbs.org/thinktank/bio_1275.html.
- Ron Walters. (2006). Retrieved March 6, 2007 from http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/walters/.
- Ronald Walters (2006). Retrieved April 23, 2007 from http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/ron_walters