Kenny Williams (educator)
Encyclopedia
Kenny J. Williams was an African American
scholar and author
, and an English professor at Duke University
.
Williams was born in Kentucky
, (hence the name "Kenny") and received her Ph.D.
from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1959. She was from 1977 until her death, a professor in Duke University
's Department of English. Her father was Joseph Harrison Jackson, President of the National Baptist Convention
from 1941-1990.
In 1986, she received the MidAmerica Award from the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature for distinguished contributions to the study of same. Williams was appointed in 1991 to the National Council on the Humanities by President George H. W. Bush
.
She was member of the Executive Board of the American Literature Association, and also served on the Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities
.
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...
scholar and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and an English professor at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Williams was born in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, (hence the name "Kenny") and received her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1959. She was from 1977 until her death, a professor in Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
's Department of English. Her father was Joseph Harrison Jackson, President of the National Baptist Convention
National Baptist Convention
National Baptist Convention may refer to:One of several historically African-American Christian denominations:*National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., the oldest and largest denomination using this name, formed in the late 19th century...
from 1941-1990.
In 1986, she received the MidAmerica Award from the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature for distinguished contributions to the study of same. Williams was appointed in 1991 to the National Council on the Humanities by President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
.
She was member of the Executive Board of the American Literature Association, and also served on the Council of 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...
.
As author
- Chicago's Public Wits: A Chapter in the American Comic Spirit (1983 Louisiana State University Press) ISBN 0-8071-1043-4
- A Storyteller and a City: Sherwood Anderson's Chicago(1988 Northern IL University Press) ISBN 0-87580-135-8
- Prairie voices: a literary history of Chicago from the frontier to 1893 (1980 Townsend Press), ISBN 0-935990-00-3
- They also spoke: an essay on Negro literature in America, 1787-1930 (1970 Townsend Press)
As illustrator
- Essays - Including Biographies and Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose and Poetry, Ann Plato (author) (1988 Oxford University Press) ISBN 0-19-505247-1