Faculty and Staff

Academic specialties/ Area of interest:

• Black/Africana Studies theory and history
• Africana (continental and diasporan) philosophy
• Maatian ethics (Ancient Egyptian)
• Ifa ethics (Ancient Yoruba)
• African American intellectual history and social thought
• Ethnic Studies
• The socio-ethical thought of Malcolm X
• Swahili language and literature

Publications

Books

• Kawaida and Questions of Life and Struggle, 2008 (Best Book in Activist Scholarship 2009—The Diopian Institute Award for Excellence in Scholarship)
• Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics, 2006; 2004 (Best Book 2004—The Cheikh Anta Diop Award for Excellence in Scholarship)
• Handbook of Black Studies, co-edited with Molefi Asante, 2005
• Introduction to Black Studies, 3rd Edition, 2002
• Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings, 1999
• Kawaida: A Communitarian African Philosophy, 1997
• The Million Man March / Day of Absence: A Commemorative Anthology, co-edited with Haki Madhubuti, 1996
• Selections From the Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt, 1984

Book Chapters

• “Molefi Asante and the Afrocentric Initiative: Mapping the Terrain of His Intellectual Impact”, in Ama Mazama (ed.), Essays in Honor of an Intellectual Warrior: Molefi Kete Asante, Paris: Menaibuc, 2009, pp. 17-49
• “The Nguzo Saba and the Black Family: Principles and Practices of Well-Being and Flourishing,” Maulana Karenga and Tiamoyo Karenga, co-authors, in Harriet Pipes McAdoo, (ed.), Black Families, 4th Ed, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007, pp. 7-28.
• “The Field, Function and Future of Africana Studies: Critical Reflections on Its Mission, Meaning and Methodology,” in Molefi Asante and Maulana Karenga, (eds.), Handbook of Black Studies, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006, pp. 402-420
• “Philosophy in the African Tradition of Resistance: Issues of Human Freedom and Human Flourishing”, in Louis R. Gordon and Jane Anna Gordon, (eds.), Not Only the Master’s Tools: African American Studies in Theory and Practice, Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers, 2006, pp. 243-271
• “Nommo, Kawaida and Communicative Practice: Bringing Good into the World,” in Understanding African American Rhetoric: Classical Origins to Contemporary Innovations, (eds.) Ronald L. Jackson II and Elaine B. Richardson, New York: Routledge, 2003, pp. 3-22
• “Black Studies: A Critical Reassessment,” Dispatches from the Ebony Tower: Intellectuals Confront the African American Experience, Manning Marable, (ed.), New York: Columbia University Press, 2000, pp. 162-170

Journal Articles

• “Names and Notions of Black Studies: Issues of Roots, Range and Relevance”, Journal of Black Studies, 40, 1 (2009), 41-64
• “Maatian Discourse and Human Rights: Ancient Egyptian Textual Sources”, Africalogical Perspectives, 5, 1 (2008), 107-124
• “The Moral Anthropology of Marcus Garvey: In the Fullness of Ourselves”, Journal of Black Studies, 39, 2 (2008), 166-193
• “DuBois and the Question of the Color Line: Race and Class in the Age of Globalization,” Socialism and Democracy, 17, 1 (Winter-Spring, 2003), 141-160
• “The Pan-African Initiative in the Americas: Culture, Common Struggle and the Odu Ifa,” National Political Science Review, 9, (2003), 156-172

Education Information (degrees and Universities attended)

• Ph.D. in Social Ethics (emphasis in classical African ethics of ancient Egypt ), University of Southern California, 1994
• Ph.D. in Political Science (emphasis in theory and practice of nationalism), United States International University, San Diego, 1976
• B.A. and M.A. in Political Science (specialization in African Studies), University of California at Los Angeles, 1963, 1964.

Courses

• AFRS 110: Introduction to Africana Studies
• AFRS 150: Critical Thinking in Africana Studies
• AFRS 215: U.S. Diversity and the Ethnic Experience
• AFRS 319: Ethnic Experience in the U.S.
• AFRS 332: Civil Rights and the Law
• AFRS 353I: Religions of African Peoples
• AFRS 498I: Ancient Egyptian Ethical Thought
• AFRS 499: Directed Studies

Professional and community affiliations

Professional Affiliations

• National Council for Black Studies, Board Member
• African Heritage Studies Association, Member
• California Black Faculty and Staff Association, Member
• California Faculty Association, Member
• Journal of Black Studies, Editorial Board
• Western Journal of Black Studies, Editorial Board
• The Black Scholar, Editorial Board

Community Affiliations

• Kawaida Institute of Pan- African Studies, Los Angeles, Executive Director
• African American Cultural Center (Us), Los Angeles, Executive Director
• The Organization Us, National Chairman
• National Association of Kawaida Organizations (NAKO), National Chairman
• Knowledge Transfer Summit, Los Angeles, Member
• Kwanzaa Ujima Collective, Chair
• TransAfrica Forum, Member

Professional Awards (selected listing)

• The Cheikh Anta Diop Award for Excellence in Scholarship, The Ankh Scientific Institute, The Annual Cheikh Anta Diop International Conference
• C.L.R. James Award for Outstanding Publication of Scholarly Works that Advance the Discipline of Africana and Black Studies, National Council for Black Studies
• The Diopian Institute Award for Excellence in Scholarship, The Diopian Institute for Scholarly Advancement, The Annual Cheikh Anta Diop International Conference
• National Leadership Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievements in Black Studies, National Council for Black Studies
• President’s Award for Scholarship and Service in the Development of Black Studies, African Heritage Studies Association
• Paul Robeson-Zora Neale Hurston Award for Scholarly Work Significantly Contributive to the Understanding, Development and Appreciation of African World Culture, National Council for Black Studies
• Legacy Award for Milestone Contributions, Institute of the Black World 21st Century
• Diop Exemplary Leadership Award, Department of African American Studies, Temple University
• Peace Education Award for Distinguished Leadership, Scholarship and Education in Building Bridges Among Africans Throughout the World, Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, California State University—Sacramento
• Richard Allen Living Legend Award, African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Pioneer Award, Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund

Special Distinction

• Creator of the African American and pan-African holiday Kwanzaa, a celebration of family, community and culture, 1966
• Author of the authoritative work on Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, 1998

Links

• www.MaulanaKarenga.org
• www.OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org
• www.AfricanAmericanCulturalCenter-LA.org
• www.Us-Organization.org