User:KEPols/Dr. Alex Willingham

Dr. Alex Wesley Willingham (born October 28, 1940) was a professor of political science and chair of the African American Studies Program at Williams College.

Early Life & Education
Alex Willingham was born in Bradley, Arkansas to Asa and Minnie Ola Willingham and grew up in Louisiana. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and studied Political Science in college receiving his B.A. from Southern University, Baton Rouge (1963) and M.A. from University of Iowa in 1965, marrying Jennett (Brown) Willingham that same year. He then went on to complete a Ph.D. at University of North Carolina in 1974.

Career & Activism
Dr. Willingham spent time on the Southern University faculty during the early 1970's and later joined Atlanta University as an associate professor until 1979. Between 1979 and 1989, Dr. Willingham worked as a writer for the Shreveport Sun and a researcher at the Rockefeller Foundation and Southern Regional Council. In 1989, Dr. Willingham joined Williams College as a professor of political science. During his time at Williams, he served as the Chair of the African American Studies program, director of the Williams College Multicultural Center, and Schumann Professor for Democratic Studies. He was named Professor of Political Science, Emeritus when he retired in 2012.

Dr. Willingham's activism began during his time as a student at Southern University, where he participated in protests both on campus and in Baton Rouge. After becoming less involved in activism while working on his M.A. in Iowa, his focus shifted toward civil and voting rights during his time at UNC. After joining the Williams College faculty, Dr. Willingham continued his work by supporting civil rights groups such as the Georgia Legal Services, ACLU, NAACP-LDF, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Scholarly Work
Throughout his career, Dr. Willingham has released a plethora of scholarly articles discussing black political thought the role of race in election procedures among other subjects.