Bobby William Austin
Encyclopedia
Bobby William Austin is an American
sociologist, lecturer
, and writer
. He is a leading scholar on African American
men and boys. Currently, he serves as Vice President for University Relations at the University of the District of Columbia
. Over the past 30 years, in the fields of education
, social policy
, youth development, cultural theory, philanthropy
and religion
, he has created a series of structured venues as pathways for how citizens might live life in communities as individuals and as members of groups where peace, meaning, and innovation are nurtured.
in 1944. He received his B.A.
from Western Kentucky University
in sociology
and economics
. He went on to earn an M.A.
in sociology at Fisk University
and then his Ph. D.
from McMaster University
in Canada. He began his career as the first African American full time professor at Georgetown University
. He received a diploma from the Harvard Graduate School of Education
, and an Honorary Doctorate
for Public Service from Central Michigan University
. He is Mahatma Gandhi
Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
.
, as well as for Washington, D.C.
mayor, Sharon Pratt. He went on to serve in various capacities at the University of the District of Columbia
including Special Assistant to the Board of Trustees, Ronald H. Brown; and Special Assistant for Educational Licensure for the District of Columbia. Austin was also the founding editor of the Urban League Review, the National research and policy journal of the National Urban League
. From 1990-1997 he was a Senior Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. His roles included Director of the African American Men and Boys Initiative and Assistant Director of the Kellogg National Fellowship Program. As executive director of the National Task Force on African American Men and Boys he edited the groundbreaking report Repairing the Breach: Key Ways to Support Family Life, Reclaim Our Streets, and Rebuild Civil Society in America's Communities. In the study distinguished African American leaders provide solutions to the problems faced by young black men in the U.S., based on findings by a task force assembled in 1994 by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Chaired by Andrew Young
, the Task Force founded its carefully researched recommendations largely on grassroots
programs around the country which have been successful in rebuilding lives and communities. William Raspberry
, Washington Post
columnist called the strategies outlined in the book, "the plan to save America."
In 1997, Austin founded the Village Foundation, an organization dedicated to "repairing the breach" between African American males and the rest of society. Its mission was to engage African American young men and boys in American society, by reconnecting them first to their local communities and then to the larger society. One of the leading initiatives of the Village Foundation today was the "Give a Boy a Book Day campaign." The program was designed to encourage reading and literacy
among young African American men.
Austin currently serves as the Chairman of the Planning Committee on the Status of African American Men, convened by Congressman Danny Davis
. He is also a founding fellow of the National Endowment for the Public Trust and Director of its Justice Task Force. Austin is a founder of the People's program, convener of the civic league and its signature program "Citizens Diplomats." Dr. Austin serves as a board member for the National Housing Trust, the Council for the Advancement of Adult Literacy, and the World Policy Council
of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
. He is Operational Chair, Centennial Family Symposium Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc; Chairman, The Year of the African American Male; Co-Convener of the Secretariat for African American Civil Society Leaders.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sociologist, lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He is a leading scholar on African American
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...
men and boys. Currently, he serves as Vice President for University Relations at the University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
. Over the past 30 years, in the fields of education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, social policy
Social policy
Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
, youth development, cultural theory, philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, he has created a series of structured venues as pathways for how citizens might live life in communities as individuals and as members of groups where peace, meaning, and innovation are nurtured.
Education
Austin was born in Bowling Green, KentuckyBowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
in 1944. He received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. He went on to earn an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in sociology at 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...
and then his Ph. D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in Canada. He began his career as the first African American full time professor at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. He received a diploma from the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Harvard Graduate School of Education is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University, and is one of the top schools of education in the United States. It was founded in 1920, the same year it invented the Ed.D...
, and an Honorary Doctorate
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
for Public Service from Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
. He is Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
American Academy of Political and Social Science
The American Academy of Political and Social Science was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, and Bryn Mawr College, the Academy sought to...
.
Work
Austin served as a campaign speech writer and issues director in the mayoral campaign of Patricia Roberts HarrisPatricia Roberts Harris
Patricia Roberts Harris served as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Jimmy Carter...
, as well as for Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
mayor, Sharon Pratt. He went on to serve in various capacities at the University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
including Special Assistant to the Board of Trustees, Ronald H. Brown; and Special Assistant for Educational Licensure for the District of Columbia. Austin was also the founding editor of the Urban League Review, the National research and policy journal of the National Urban League
National Urban League
The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...
. From 1990-1997 he was a Senior Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. His roles included Director of the African American Men and Boys Initiative and Assistant Director of the Kellogg National Fellowship Program. As executive director of the National Task Force on African American Men and Boys he edited the groundbreaking report Repairing the Breach: Key Ways to Support Family Life, Reclaim Our Streets, and Rebuild Civil Society in America's Communities. In the study distinguished African American leaders provide solutions to the problems faced by young black men in the U.S., based on findings by a task force assembled in 1994 by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Chaired by Andrew Young
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
, the Task Force founded its carefully researched recommendations largely on grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
programs around the country which have been successful in rebuilding lives and communities. William Raspberry
William Raspberry
William Raspberry is a former Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated American public affairs columnist. He was also the Knight Professor of the Practice of Communications and Journalism at the Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University...
, Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
columnist called the strategies outlined in the book, "the plan to save America."
In 1997, Austin founded the Village Foundation, an organization dedicated to "repairing the breach" between African American males and the rest of society. Its mission was to engage African American young men and boys in American society, by reconnecting them first to their local communities and then to the larger society. One of the leading initiatives of the Village Foundation today was the "Give a Boy a Book Day campaign." The program was designed to encourage reading and literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
among young African American men.
Austin currently serves as the Chairman of the Planning Committee on the Status of African American Men, convened by Congressman Danny Davis
Danny K. Davis
For other persons named Danny Davis, please see Daniel Davis .Daniel K. Davis is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
. He is also a founding fellow of the National Endowment for the Public Trust and Director of its Justice Task Force. Austin is a founder of the People's program, convener of the civic league and its signature program "Citizens Diplomats." Dr. Austin serves as a board member for the National Housing Trust, the Council for the Advancement of Adult Literacy, and the World Policy Council
World Policy Council
The World Policy Council of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity is a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank established in 1996 at Howard University to expand the fraternity's involvement in politics and social and current policy to encompass important global and world issues...
of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
. He is Operational Chair, Centennial Family Symposium Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc; Chairman, The Year of the African American Male; Co-Convener of the Secretariat for African American Civil Society Leaders.
Nonfiction
- I'll Make Me a World: Bringing Wholeness to Fractured Lives after 9/11 (Beckham Publications Group, 2008)
- Wake up and Start to Live: an Analysis of a Gallop Poll and a Statistical Profile of African-American Men, 1990-2000 (with Brian Gilmore and Joseph McCormick, 2003)
- Twenty-first Century Leadership in the African-American Community (with Andrew YoungAndrew YoungAndrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
, 1998) - Repairing the Breach: Key Ways to Support Family Life, Reclaim our Streets and Rebuild Civil Society in American Communities (1996)
- Towards a Theory of Cultural Leadership: Domestic Policy Implications as they Relate to Black Ethnic Groups in America (in Concepts, Challenges, and Realities of Leadership: An International Perspective, edited by James MacGregor Burns, 2001)
- What a Piece of Work is Man (monograph, 1992)