Founder of HBCU ReviewAssociate Professor, Alabama State UniversityDepartment of Languages and Literatures, Department of Criminal Justice, Department of Educational Leadership
Dr. Robert O. White II is a career educator with more than 30 years of professional experience. He is a radio producer, content creator, college professor, pastor, and political analyst. He has published several books covering topics ranging from civil rights and political activism to spirituality.
Dr. White is the creator of the Highway 80 Research Project and has assisted numerous professionals with research initiatives. He has also served as a consultant for various community projects. He is the founder and co-executive producer of the HBCU Review radio show, which has aired for the past 10 years.
Professor of English, Alabama State UniversityInterim Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Social SciencesChair, Department of Languages and Literatures
Jacqueline Allen Trimble is the Poet Laureate of Alabama, a 2021 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow in Poetry, a Cave Canem Fellow, and a two-time Alabama State Council on the Arts Literary Fellow.
Her poetry has appeared in POETRY, The Louisville Review, The Offing, Salvation South, and Poet Lore, and has been featured by the Poetry Foundation, Academy of American Poets, and Poetry Daily. Her debut collection, American Happiness, won the 2016 Balcones Poetry Prize, while How to Survive the Apocalypse was named one of the New York Public Library's ten best poetry books of 2022.
Trimble earned her B.A. in English from Huntingdon College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Alabama. She currently serves as Professor of English, Interim Associate Dean, and Chair of the Department of Languages and Literatures at Alabama State University.
Associate Professor, Alabama State UniversityDepartment of Languages and Literatures, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Marta Alaina Holliday is an Associate Professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures at Alabama State University, where she has taught since 2011. She earned her B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Marymount College of Fordham University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in English and Literary Studies from the University of Iowa.
Her research explores representations of biracial identity in American literature, film, and memoir. Her scholarly interests also include Black Studies, gender and sexual orientation, Southern Black identity, skin color, and social class within the Black community.
Dr. Holliday's published scholarship examines subjects ranging from biracial representation and the "tragic mulatta" figure to Black memoir and history. Her work has appeared in The Projector, The Apollonian, and Cambridge University Press's African American Literature in Transition, and she has presented her research at the Northeast Modern Language Association Conference.
Associate Professor, Harris-Stowe State UniversityAssociate Professor of Theatre in Communication Studies
Gregory S. Carr is an Associate Professor of Theatre in Communication Studies at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is an accomplished director, playwright, actor, essayist, and public historian.
Carr's Living History performances have portrayed notable figures including African American frontiersman James Beckwourth; abolitionist James Milton Turner; Private Logan Bennett, a soldier in the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Troops; African American scholar Carter G. Woodson; and Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
His essays include "Three Fridays in August: Black Male Bonding in August Wilson's Fences," "Top Brass: Themes, Theatricality, and Theology in James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones," "A Brand New Day on Broadway: The Genius of Geoffrey Holder's Artistry and His Intentional Evocation of the African Diaspora," and "Dream Demurred: Interrogating Whiteness in Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park."
His essay "Heeding the Macedonian Call: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Strategic Use of Aristotelian Appeals in 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail'" appears in Highway 80: A Drive Through Alabama's Civil Rights Corridor.
Writer | Journalist | Broadcaster & Media ProfessionalFaulkner University
Ricardo J. "Riq" Hall is an established writer, journalist, broadcaster, and media professional. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Hall is a 1977 graduate of Sidney Lanier High School. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1981 and his Juris Doctor from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law at Faulkner University in Montgomery in 1997.
Concurrent with earning his bachelor's degree, Hall received a commission in the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant. He served in the Army for nine years, culminating in an honorable discharge and receiving various awards.
Following his military service, Hall transitioned into the professional civilian workforce, serving as Director of Communications for the American Heart Association, Mississippi Affiliate. He previously worked as a staff writer for the South Carolina Black Media Group and The Dallas Weekly newspaper. Hall is also an experienced terrestrial radio and television professional.
Throughout his media career, he has served in numerous capacities, including radio announcer, sound engineer, cameraman, production manager, and station manager.
HBCU AdministratorAlabama State University
Calvin Ben Lester is a seasoned higher education administrator, policy professional, and former elected official with over 25 years of experience in higher education, public policy, economic development, and community leadership.
With more than 15 years serving Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), he has held leadership roles in institutional strategy, academic affairs, enrollment management, and external partnerships.
A former Shreveport City Council member and Chair of the Shreveport Redevelopment Authority, Lester has championed workforce development, affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and public-private partnerships.
His work focuses on bridging higher education, government, and business to strengthen institutions, expand student opportunities, and drive sustainable economic and community development.
Department Head and Assistant Professor of Architecture, Tuskegee UniversityThe Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science (TSACS)
Dr. Kwesi Daniels is an educator, architect, and historic preservation advocate specializing in African-American heritage, sustainability, and urban development. As Head of Tuskegee University's Architecture Department, he leads initiatives to preserve historically significant African-American sites, including the Shiloh Rosenwald School and Armstrong School.
In 2018, he began developing Tuskegee's historic preservation program, extending its impact into communities across Alabama. He also created the Legacy of Booker T. Washington course, emphasizing education, community empowerment, and economic development.
Dr. Daniels holds degrees from Tuskegee University, the University of Illinois Chicago, Columbia University, and Temple University, where he earned his Ph.D. in Urban Geography. His work continues to bridge education, historic preservation, and community revitalization.
