The National Conference of Black Political Scientists is pleased to announce the winners of our 2021 Awards for Scholarship, Mentoring, and Leadership in the field of Political Science.

Rodney Higgins Best Faculty Paper Award Presented to Dr. ANDREW JANUSZ, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida for the paper, “Candidate Race and Campaign Resources in Brazilian Mayoral Elections.”


Fannie Lou Hamer Outstanding Community Service Award Presented to DR. SEKOU FRANKLIN, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Middle Tennessee State University.


Anna Julia Cooper Teacher of the Year Award Presented to Dr. TAMMY GREER, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Clark Atlanta University.


Sammy Younge Best Student Paper the Year Co-Awardee is AYANA BEST, PhD. Candidate in Political Science at University of Southern California for the paper, “Voices Unheard, Stories Untold: Black Women, Police Violence
and Political Participation.”


Sammy Younge Best Student Paper the Year Co-Awardee is NAOMI NUBIN, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at University of Houston for the paper, “The Poor, The Needy, and The Partisan: How do State-Level Political Factors Influence Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program Benefits.”


W.E.B. Du Bois Distinguished Book Award Presented to Dr. KENESHIA N. GRANT, for the book The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of the American Politics in the 20th Century  (Temple University Press 2020).


Alex Willingham Best Political Theory Paper Award Presented to DA’VON BOYD, a Ph.D. student in Political Science at Yale University for the paper, “Spiritual Strivings: An Analysis of Dr. King’s use of Spirituality in his Theory of Political Action in the Civil Rights Movement.”


Lena Harris Stromile Student Leadership Award Presented to KESICIA DICKINSON, a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at Michigan State University.


Legacy and Life-Time Achievement Award Presented to Dr. ROBERT C. SMITH, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at San Francisco State University.


Our 52nd Annual Conference convened virtually March 10-13, 2021 was planned and coordinated by Conference Program Chairs, Dr. GLADYS MITCHELL-WALTHOUR, Associate Professor of African & African Diaspora Studies at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee; Dr. OLLIE JOHNSON Chair and Professor of the Department of African American Studies at Wayne State University;  and Dr. DONN WORGS, Professor of Political Science at Towson University.


The National Conference of Black Political Scientists extends our gratitude to the Awards Committee Members: Athena King (Virginia State University); Sherice Nelson (Southern University and A&M College); Jessica Carew (Elon University); Jerome Hunt (Long Beach City College); Caroline Shenaz Hossein (York University, Canada); Emmitt Riley (DePauw University); Jasmine Noelle Yarish (University of the District of Columbia); Kurt Young (Clark Atlanta University); Jarvis Hall (North
Carolina Central University); Tammy Greer (Clark Atlanta University); Sherri Wallace (University of Louisville); Kathie Stromile Golden (Mississippi Valley State University).

Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, Ph.D., President, National Conference of Black Political Scientists
Emmitt Riley, Ph.D., Vice-President, National Conference of Black Political Scientists
Kathie Stromile Golden, Ph.D., Executive Director, National Conference of Black Political Scientists