Two African American Faculty Members Win the Pulitzer Prize

Marcia Chatelain, a professor of history and African American studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., won the Pulitzer Prize in history for her book Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America (Liveright, 2020). The prize committee stated that Chatelain’s book is “a nuanced account of the complicated role the fast-food industry plays in African American communities and a portrait of race and capitalism that masterfully illustrates how the fight for civil rights has been intertwined with the fate of Black businesses.”

A native of Chicago, Professor Chatelain also authored South Side Girls: Growing Up in the Great Migration (Duke University Press, 2015). Before joining the faculty at Georgetown, she was a Reach for Excellence Assistant Professor of Honors and African American Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Chatelain is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where she majored in religious studies and journalism. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in American civilization from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Mitchell S. Jackson, an assistant professor of English at the University of Chicago, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for his essay in Runner’s World about the life and death of Ahmaud Arbery. Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old Black man, was shot and killed in February 2020 while jogging in Georgia after being chased by men in vehicles. Arrests were made only weeks after the killing, once video pertaining to the incident was shared widely on social media.

Jackson interviewed Arbery’s friends and family remotely while quarantining in New York City. The essay, published in June last year, about four months after Arbery’s death, provides a detailed account of his life, personality, and relationships and “how running fails Black America.”

Jackson’s debut novel The Residue Years (Bloomsbury, 2014) was the winner of a Whiting Award and the Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence. He also authored the memoir Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family (Scriber, 2020) about his experiences growing up in the Black community in Portland, Oregon. Jackson has taught at the University of Chicago since 2019 but will join the faculty at Arizona State University this fall. He holds a master of fine art degree from New York University.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs