Asa Grant Hilliard III facts for kids

Asa G. Hilliard III (born August 22, 1933 – died August 13, 2007) was an important African-American professor. He studied educational psychology, which is about how people learn and think. He also researched ancient African history, especially Ancient Egypt, and how it connects to culture and education today.

Professor Hilliard was a special professor at Georgia State University. He taught about education in cities and how people learn. Before that, he was the Dean (a top leader) of the School of Education at San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California.

Asa Hilliard's Work and Ideas

In 1981, Professor Hilliard came up with an idea called "Baseline Essays". These were like short history stories about different cultural groups. They showed how these groups contributed to subjects like science or art from ancient times until now.

The Portland, Oregon school district used these ideas. This led to a collection of essays called the African-American Baseline Essays. These essays focused on Afrocentrism, which means looking at history and culture from an African point of view. The school district started using them in 1989.

Professor Hilliard was part of many important groups. He helped start the Alliance of Black School Educators in San Francisco. He was also a founding member of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations. He received many awards for his work in education. These included the Thurgood Marshall Award for Excellence and honorary doctorates from universities. He was also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

His Family and Beliefs

Asa Hilliard was married to Patsy Jo Hilliard. She was the first African American woman to be mayor of East Point, Georgia. They had four children: Asa IV, Robi, Patricia, and Hakim. They also had eight grandchildren.

Education ran in his family. His grandfather, Asa Grant Hilliard, was a high school principal in Bay City, Texas. A school was even named after him. His father, Asa Grant Hilliard II, was also a high school principal.

Professor Hilliard once said about his work: "I am a teacher, a psychologist and a historian. I want to understand how we can help our people grow and become whole."

He strongly believed that all children could achieve great things. He thought the most important things for success were:

• Having high expectations for students.
• Having well-trained teachers.
• Not relying too much on standardized tests.

Hilliard was a leader in showing the African roots of modern civilization. He supported an Afrocentric school curriculum. This kind of curriculum highlights the historical achievements of Black people. He believed this would help students feel good about themselves and their heritage.

He wrote over a thousand articles and books. These covered topics like teaching methods, testing, how children grow, and African history and culture. Many of his ideas for teaching and school programs became examples for others across the country.

His Passing

In 2007, Professor Hilliard was traveling in Egypt with his wife and a tour group. Sadly, he died unexpectedly from Malaria.

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