Dear DCI Friends and Colleagues,
Our esteemed and beloved friend and DCI National Advisor, Dr. James E. Turner passed away last week. With respect and humility, we honor him as a renowned national and international scholar, pioneering educator and movement builder. With immense sadness and gratitude, we feel the loss of a leader and elder whose gracious presence, dignity, wry humor, kindness and generosity graced our community for over five decades.
He was not an academic who cloistered himself in the Ivory Tower; for example, he shared his deep knowledge and penetrating insight with hundreds of public school teachers and activists who were fortunate enough to take his hugely impactful course, Racism in American Society, co-taught with Don Barr. He and Dean Janice Turner showed up at so many community events and meetings, always willing to share wisdom, attention and support with all of us, on and off campus. Dr. Turner embodied the cultural wealth and wisdom of the African diaspora, and sharing the truth of our history, the integrity of his legacy has fostered generations of brilliant scholars, activists for justice, and stronger people.
Here are some resources and information about Dr. Turner’s legacy, shared by a national Black studies network.
James E. Turner Professor/Activist Africana Studies
https://www.diverseeducation.
https://moguldom.com/418054/
His voice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.ithacajournal.com/
https://mediaspace.illinois.
Family comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Cornell
https://africana.cornell.edu/
https://africana.cornell.edu/
The Cornell Center he created
https://crowdfunding.cornell.
Images
https://tinyurl.com/9zkpsew9
Willard Straight Hall 50th Anniversary: Reflecting on the Legacy of James Turner and Black Student Activism 1969-2019
Dr. James Turner and Reclaiming African Studies (video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Experiences working with James Turner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Reflections from colleagues on his vision
https://www.youtube.com/watch?