Lerone Martin Named Faculty Director of Stanford’s MLK Research and Education Institute

Lerone A. Martin was appointed faculty director for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. Dr. Martin will be only the second faculty director of the institute, replacing Clayborne Carson, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Centennial Professor, Emeritus, who retired in 2020 after more than 40 years in the role.

Dr. Martin will join Stanford in January 2022 as an associate professor in the department of religious studies and as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Centennial Professor. He is currently an associate professor of religion and politics in the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, as well as associate professor of African and African-American studies, and director of American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

“It is such an honor to succeed Dr. Clayborne Carson as the MLK Centennial Chair and Director of the MLK Research and Education Institute. I hope to build on the tremendous accomplishments of Dr. Carson and the staff,” said Dr. Martin. “I am also thrilled to be joining the religious studies faculty and the broader Stanford University community. I look forward to teaching undergraduate students, training graduate students, and learning from students and my new colleagues.”

Dr. Martin’s research focuses on religious traditions in the United States and the intersection of race and politics with religion. He is the author of Preaching on Wax: The Phonograph and the Shaping of Modern African American Religion (New York University Press, 2014).

Dr. Martin is a graduate of Anderson University in South Carolina. He earned a master of divinity degree from the Princeton Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Emory University in Atlanta.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Hey Lerone,

    Here’s your first assignment in your new position. You need to find out why Stanford University continues to have a paucity of native born Black American faculty and undergraduate/graduate students. Also, conduct some substantive research on the level of institutional and implicit/explicit racism at Stanford as compared to the “feel good” status quo research they produce on these salient issues.

  2. Doctor Lerone Martin,
    Congratulations’ on your move to the west coast and the position with
    Stanford University. Watching you grow from a solid T&F athlete to a
    leader in many fields today is very rewarding.
    God Bless You,
    Coach R. L. Good

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