Emory Tolbert

Emory J. Tolbert is a well-known African American historian, archivist and activist.

Dr. Emory J. Tolbert

Early years

Emory Tolbert was born on December 26, 1946 to John J. and Johnie Mae Tolbert in Sanford, Florida. When he was three his family moved to Rochester, New York.[1]

Family

Tolbert was married to Frances Jones on August 1, 1976. They have two daughters, Denise (Defoe) and Erin.

Education

Tolbert graduated cum laude from Atlantic Union College with a B.A. in History and minors in Political Science, Religion, and Secondary Education in 1968.[2] In 1975 he graduated from UCLA with a PhD in History with an emphasis in American History and minors in African American History, African American Literature and African History.[3] Tolbert's dissertation was on Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League chapters in Los Angeles.

Teaching

Tolbert's distinguished teaching career began at Loma Linda University in 1968 where he taught the first course in African American History there. He also taught courses on American history and the American constitution. While working on his doctorate at UCLA, Tolbert was an instructor at California State University, San Bernardino, University of Southern California, UCLA and UCSD, all in his middle to late 20s.

From 1973 to 1981 Tolbert was an assistant professor in the department of History at University of California at San Diego. At UCSD he taught the first courses in African American History and initiated an MA program in Social and Ethnic History. From 1984-1991 he was an associate and full professor at California State University at Fullerton in the department of History and the department of Afro-American and Ethnic Studies. In 1987 he became Chairman of the Afro-American and Ethnic Studies Department.

Howard University

In 1991, Tolbert assumed the position of chair of Howard University's History department. He would hold this post until 1998, then serve as chair again from 2002 to 2005, and 2009.[3]

While at Howard Tolbert helped to incorporate a geography program; expand the public history program; initiate the historical research for the New York Burial Ground Project;[4] directed twenty PhD dissertations; and served as chairman of over three dozen dissertation committees.

Contribution

Tolbert's specialty is Garveyism. His 1980 The UNIA and Black Los Angeles, was the first regional study of the Marcus Garvey movement.[5] He has written and edited numerous books on the subject; served on scores of committees and panels; given hundreds of presentations;[6] and enhanced the scholarship greatly on the subject. He has especially shed light on the effect of Garveyism in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles metropolitan area and California,[7] conducting studies on various UNIA chapters nationwide.

Recently Tolbert has been active in the Sabbath in Africa movement (SIA), sitting on its board and giving presentations across the world.[8] The SIA generates scholarship on Christianity in Africa, operating on the premise that Christianity is a native African religion and has survived there uninterrupted since its inception during Pentecost.[9]

Additionally, Tolbert is known to have one of the largest personal collections of African-American memorabilia.[10]

Courses taught

Works

Books authored/edited

Book chapter contributions

Scholarly book citations

Important journal articles

Selected conference papers and public lectures

See also

References

  1. ↑ Baker, D.W., and DeWitt Williams, eds., Profiles of Service, pg. 146
  2. ↑ http://emmanueladventist.org/article.php?id=314
  3. 1 2 "Emory Joel Tolbert", Faculty, Howard University.
  4. ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1546/is_n1_v9/ai_14947180/pg_2?tag=artBody;col1
  5. ↑ http://www.coas.howard.edu/history/faculty_Tolbert.html, Vincent, C., "A Review of The UNIA and Black Los Angeles: Ideology and Community in the American Garvey Movement by Emory J. Tolbert" in The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Spring, 1981), pp. 56-58, # De Graaf, L.B., "A Review of The UNIA and Black Los Angeles: Ideology and Community in the American Garvey Movement by Emory J. Tolbert" in The Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 51, No. 4 (Nov., 1982), pp. 447-448.
  6. ↑ http://jewel.morgan.edu/~rmezu/conf1999/daythree.htm, http://www.ethiopianamerican.org/node/3, http://www.coas.howard.edu/events/[email protected]
  7. ↑ http://www.nps.gov/history/history/resedu/bib_africanamericanwest.htm
  8. ↑ http://adventistpeace.typepad.com/african_christianity/sabbath-in-africa-study-g.html
  9. ↑ http://africanchristianity.org
  10. ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_26_109/ai_n16533391, http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-15949765_ITM
  11. ↑ Black Power and Christianity," Spectrum 2:2 (Spring 1970), p47–52.
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