New Institute for Study of Southern African Americans Established at Claflin University

Brian L. Johnson has been named to head the new Jonathan Jasper Wright Institute for the Study of Southern African-American Culture and Policy at Claflin University, the historically black educational institution in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The institute is thought to be the only one of its kind with a unique focus on southern African Americans.

Johnson, an associate professor of English at Claflin, plans to hire 12 academics over the next several years to staff the center. Johnson hopes to hire young scholars who will mature at Claflin. He is looking for academics with interests in economics, history, politics, language, and education.

Professor Johnson is a 1995 graduate of Johnson C. Smith University, the historically black educational institution in Charlotte, North Carolina. He went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D. in English from the University of South Carolina.

Professor Johnson is currently writing his second book, a biography of W.E.B. Du Bois.

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