ATHENS, Ga. – Na’im Akbar, faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University in Tallahassee, will deliver the keynote address at the University of Georgia’s 4th Annual Mary Frances Early Lecture on Wednesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. in the Bernard Ramsey Auditorium, room 213 of Sanford Hall. This year’s theme is “Living Your Legacy: Pioneers of a Common Struggle.” The lecture, sponsored by in part by Graduate and Professional Scholars (GAPS) at UGA, is free and open to the public.
Akbar has been acclaimed by Essence Magazine as “one of the world’s preeminent psychologists and a pioneer in the development of an African-centered approach in modern psychology.” Akbar has served as associate professor at Norfolk State University and was chairman of the Morehouse College psychology department. He has served on the boards of directors of a variety of civic and professional organizations, including several terms on the board of the National Association of Black Psychologists, of which he was elected president in 1987. He has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Black Studies and for eight years was the associate editor of the Journal of Black Psychology.
Tens of thousands of people around the world have read and been inspired by Akbar’s highly readable and significant books, which include Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery, The Community of Self, Visions for Black Men and Know Thy Self, among other titles as well as numerous scholarly papers and articles.
Akhbar has been interviewed on the “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Tony Brown’s Journal,” “Geraldo” and a wide variety of other national and local television programs. Significant articles about him have appeared in Essence Magazine, The Washington Post, Jet Magazine and a large number of local, national and international newspapers. As a recipient of literally scores of plaques and awards, Akbar is recognized as one of the great thinkers and orators of this generation.
The lecture is named in honor of the first African-American graduate of UGA, Mary Frances Early, who earned a master of music education in 1962. She currently is chairperson of the music department and professor of music at Clark Atlanta University. Early played an integral role in the desegregation of UGA and that role is featured in the documentary “Foot Soldiers for Equal Justice,” which was coproduced by GAPS advisor Maurice Daniels.
The Early Lecture was established by Valerie White and Tracey Ford, two former members of Graduate and Professional Scholars (GAPS) at UGA. Ford is currently serving as an advisor to GAPS. GAPS was founded in 1984 to support underrepresented graduate and professional students at UGA.
The Mary Frances Early Lecture is cosponsored this year by a variety of organizations and units on UGA’s campus, including the Office of the President, Office of Institutional Diversity, the Graduate School, College of Education, School of Music and the Black Faculty and Staff Organization.
For more information about the lecture or GAPS, contact Joy Harden at 706/542-5437 or gaps@uga.edu.
