12 December 2006

Greetings Family,

How are you? I am in Los Angeles lecturing and
hosting a week long radio segment called AFRICA 101.
The show, called Front Page, is regularly hosted by
sister Dominique Diprima. The radio station, KJLH, is
owned by none other than Stevie Wonder. Yesterday we
had the honor of interviewing Dr. Asa Hilliard. Yes,
our own Nana Baffour gave an excellent, really
marvelous, interview focusing largely on African
identity.

Anybody who knows me understands the high regard that
I hold brother Asa in. He is one of our greatest
treasures--a tremendous scholar, a wonderful person,
and a good brother.

Below is his "official" biography. It doesn't even
begin to tell about Nana Baffour the person. But it
is so impressive that I wanted to share it with you.

Tomorrow morning we interview Dr. Toni Humber on the
African presence in Mexico. Thursday morning I give an
interview on the global African presence, and Friday
morning we interview Dr. David Horne and brother Ali
Salahudin on our relationship to Africa and strategies
for African libertion. So why don't you tune in. It
will be a week on Africa that you will not soon
forget.

In love of Africa,

Runoko Rashidi

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[align=center]DR. ASA G. HILLIARD, III [Baffour Amankwatia, II]
Biographical Sketch[/align]
[align=left]
Dr. Asa G. Hilliard, III, is the Fuller E. Callaway
Professor of Urban Education at Georgia State
University, with joint appointments in the Department
of Educational Policy Studies and the Department of
Educational Psychology/Special Education. A teacher,
psychologist, and historian, he began his career in
the Denver Public Schools, teaching psychology,
mathematics and American History. He earned a B.A. in
Psychology, M.A. in Counseling, and Ed.D. in
Educational Psychology from the University of Denver,
where he also taught in the College of Education, and
in the College of Arts and Sciences in the Honors
Program in philosophy. Dr. Hilliard served on the
faculty at San Francisco State University for 18
years. During that time he was a Department Chair for
2 years, Dean of Education for 8 years, and was
consultant to the Peace Corps and Superintendent of
Schools in Monrovia, and school psychologist, during
his six years in Liberia, West Africa.

He has helped to develop several national assessment
systems, such as proficiency assessment of
professional educators, and developmental assessments
of young children and infants. He is a Board Certified
Forensic Examiner and Diplomate of both the American
Board of Forensic Examiners and the American Board of
Forensic Medicine. He served as lead expert witness in
several landmark federal cases on test validity and
bias, including Larry P v. Wilson Riles in California,
Mattie T. v. Holliday in Mississippi, Deborah P. V.
Turlington in Florida, and also in two Supreme Court
cases, Ayers v. Fordice in Mississippi, and Marino v.
Ortiz in New York City.

Dr. Hilliard is a founding member and First Vice
President of the Association for the Study of
Classical African Civilizations. He has conducted
Ancient African History study tours to Egypt for 15
years, is the co-developer of an educational
television series on Ancient Kemetic (Egyptian
history). He has produced videotapes and educational
materials on African history through his production
company, Waset Educational Productions. He is
Co-Founder, with his daughter, Nefertari Patricia
Hilliard-Nunn, of Makare Publishing.

Dr. Hilliard has written more than four hundred
research reports, articles and books on testing,
Ancient African History, teaching strategies, African
culture, and child growth and development. He served
with Dr. Barbara Sizemore as Chief Consultant on the
Every Child Can Succeed television series, produced by
the Agency for Instructional Technology.

Dr. Hilliard has consulted with many of the leading
school districts, publishers, public advocacy
organizations, universities, government agencies and
private corporations on valid assessment, African
content in curriculum, teacher training, and public
policy. Several of his programs in curriculum,
assessment, and valid teaching have become national
models. He has worked on projects with the National
Academy of Sciences, and has spoken at the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the
Smithsonian Institution, and the National Geographic
Society. He has been visiting professor at many
Universities, including Oakland University, Stanford
University, University of New Mexico, and Harvard
University.

Dr. Hilliard has served on such boards as the Agency
for Instructional Technology, Zero to Three, The
Public Education Fund Network, American Association of
Colleges for Teacher Education, The Far West Regional
Laboratory for Educational Research and Development,
and The Center for Applied Linguistics.

His most recent books are, The Maroon Within Us:
Selected Essays on African American Community
Socialization Baltimore: Black Classics Press; SBA:
The Reawakening of the African Mind Gainesville,
Florida: Makare Publishing; African Power Gainesville,
Florida: Makare Publishing; co-author of Young Gifted
and Black, Boston [Winner of American Education
Research Association Award for Excellence], Beacon
Press and co author with Nefertari Hilliard-Nunn of
True of Voice: The Poetry of Listervelt Middleton,
Makare Publishing.

Selected Awards

Morehouse College "Candle in the Dark Award in
Education"

National Alliance of Black School Educators
"Distinguished Educator Award"

American Evaluation Association, President's Award

Republic of Liberia Award as Knight Commander of the
Humane Order of African Redemption

New York Society of Clinical Psychologists Award for
Outstanding Research, Scholarly Achievement, and
Humanitarian Service.

Association of Black Psychologists Distinguished
Psychologist Award

Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished
Leadership Award

Honorary Degree, DePaul University Doctor of Humane
Letters

Honorary Degree, Wheelock College Doctor of Education

American Psychological Association, Fellow

Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society Laureate Chapter

American Educational Research Association Committee on
the Role & Status of Minorities in Education, Research
& Development Distinguished Career Contribution Award

American Association of Higher Education Black Caucus,
Harold Delaney Exemplary Educational Leadership Award

American Association of Colleges for Teacher, one time
only Thurgood Marshall Award for Excellence, on the
occasion of the 50th anniversary observance of the
Brown versus Board of Education Topeka Decision


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