Howard Dodson
Encyclopedia
Howard Dodson, Jr is the long-time director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem
.
Dodson grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania
where his family had moved from Virginia
. His parents worked blue collar jobs in construction and textiles. He attended West Chester State College, and then earned a master
's in history and political science at Villanova
. In 1964, he joined the Peace Corps
and spent two years in Ecuador
. In 1968, believing he had responsibilities in the United States
during the civil rights movement
, he returned, stopping in Puerto Rico
for a period of reflection and then going to Berkley
to study slavery in the Western Hemisphere. From 1974 to 1979 he worked as the executive director of the Atlanta-based Institute of the Black World, in addition to teaching classes at Emory University
. Dodson was later a consultant to the National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH) until 1984.
Dodson took on the directorship of the Schomburg center in 1984 and had a successful tenure, during which he increased the center's holdings of historical artifacts—many of them rare and irreplaceable—from 5 to 10 million, curated numerous displays and exhibitions, and raised millions of dollars in support. One high point was his intimate involvement in the African Burial Ground project, through which hundreds of former slaves buried in Manhattan
during the 17th and 18th centuries were exhumed and reburied. He has recently announced his retirement from the directorship, with plans to travel widely.
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
.
Dodson grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
where his family had moved from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. His parents worked blue collar jobs in construction and textiles. He attended West Chester State College, and then earned a master
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
's in history and political science at Villanova
Villanova
Villanova may refer to:In botany:*Villanova, a genus of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae, an invalid name replaced by Flueggea, or bushweed*Villanova , a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae.In education:*St...
. In 1964, he joined the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
and spent two years in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. In 1968, believing he had responsibilities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
, he returned, stopping in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
for a period of reflection and then going to Berkley
Berkley
- Places :United Kingdom* Berkley, SomersetUnited States* Berkley, Colorado* Berkley, Iowa* Berkley, Maryland* Berkley, Massachusetts* Berkley, Michigan* Berkley, Virginia, formerly a town, and now a neighborhood in Norfolk, Virginia...
to study slavery in the Western Hemisphere. From 1974 to 1979 he worked as the executive director of the Atlanta-based Institute of the Black World, in addition to teaching classes at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
. Dodson was later a consultant to the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
(NEH) until 1984.
Dodson took on the directorship of the Schomburg center in 1984 and had a successful tenure, during which he increased the center's holdings of historical artifacts—many of them rare and irreplaceable—from 5 to 10 million, curated numerous displays and exhibitions, and raised millions of dollars in support. One high point was his intimate involvement in the African Burial Ground project, through which hundreds of former slaves buried in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
during the 17th and 18th centuries were exhumed and reburied. He has recently announced his retirement from the directorship, with plans to travel widely.