Distinguished African American political scholar Walters to deliver 24th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Public Affairs Lecture

Distinguished African American political scholar Walters to deliver 24th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Public Affairs LectureJanuary 29, 2007Carol K. Masiclatclkim@syr.edu

Syracuse University will host African American leadership scholar Ronald Walters of the University of Maryland as he delivers the 24th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Public Affairs Lecture, titled “Black Presidential Politics in 2008: The Obama Factor,” Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium. Walters will also present at an open classroom conversation Feb. 8 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 219 of Sims Hall.

Both events are free and open to the public. This program is partially funded by The Kaleidoscope Project, a diversity initiative sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs to broaden the understanding of diversity and promote healthy dialogue about related issues at Syracuse University. The events are co-sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, the Division of Student Support and Retention, the Department of African American Studies, the Kaleidoscope Project, The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the Renee Crown University Honors program.

Paid parking will be available for the Feb. 7 lecture in Irving Garage. For the Feb. 8 open class session, paid parking will be available in Booth Garage. For more information on these events, call 443-4302.

Director of the African American Leadership Institute and Scholar Practitioner Program, Walters is also distinguished leadership scholar at the James MacGregor Academy of Leadership and professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland.

“Dr. Walters is the pre-eminent African American scholar dedicated to revealing how government and American politics affect the lives of African Americanpeople,” says Bill Cole, professor of African American studies. “We are honored that he will join us for this important lecture and classroom conversation.”

Walters hold a bachelor’s degree in history and government with honors from Fisk University, and a master’s degree in African studies and a Ph.D. in international studies 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.

Walters has also served as visiting professor at Princeton University and as a fellow of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. 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.

He was the senior policy staff member for two members of Congress, Rep. Charles Diggs Jr. and Rep. William Gray. In 1984, Walters served as deputy campaign manager for issues with the Jesse Jackson presidential campaign; in 1988, he was a consultant for convention issues for the Jackson campaign directed by former Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown. He serves as a senior policy consultant to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Walters is the author of eight books and more than 100 articles. His book “Black Presidential Politics in America” (SUNY Press, 1989) won the Ralph Bunche Prize, given by the American Political Science Association, and the Best Book award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists (NCOBPS). “Pan Africanism in the African Diaspora” (Wayne State University Press, 1993) also won the NCOBPS Best Book award.

His most recent books include “White Nationalism, Black Interests: Conservative Public Policy and the Black Community” (Wayne State University Press, 2003) and “Freedom is Not Enough: Black Voters, Black Candidates, and American Presidential Politics” (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005).

Walters has been honored with many awards, including a distinguished faculty award from Howard University (1982); the W.E.B. DuBois/Frederick Douglas Award from the African Heritage Studies Association (1983); the Ida Wells Barnett Award from the Association of Black School Educators (1985); and the Ida B. Wells?W.E.B. DuBois Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the National Council for Black Studies (2000).

The School of International Service of the American University named him Alumnus of the Year in 2000.

A frequent guest on local and national media as an analyst of African American politics, Walters also writes a weekly opinion column for newspapers and websites.