Delores P. Aldridge facts for kids

Delores P. Aldridge, born on June 8, 1941, is an American sociologist. A sociologist is a scientist who studies how people live together in groups and societies. Dr. Aldridge made history as the first African-American professor at Emory University. She also started the very first program for African American and African studies in the southern United States.

Early Life and Schooling

Delores P. Aldridge was born in Tampa, Florida. She went to private school at Allen Temple A.M.E Church. Later, she attended Meacham Elementary School and Booker T. Washington Junior High. She graduated from Middleton High School in 1959 as the top student in her class.

College and Advanced Degrees

Dr. Aldridge went to Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and Spanish. In 1966, she received a master's degree in social work from Atlanta University. She also studied child psychology in Ireland.

In 1971, Dr. Aldridge earned her Ph.D. in sociology from Purdue University. A Ph.D. is the highest degree you can get in a field of study. She was the first African American woman to earn this degree from Purdue's sociology program. She continued her studies in Ghana and at Georgetown University.

Career Highlights

In 1971, Dr. Aldridge joined the faculty at Emory University. She was the first African American professor there who was on a "tenure-track." This means she was on a path to become a permanent professor. That same year, she founded the Black Studies Program at Emory. This was the first program of its kind in the southern U.S.

Leadership and Influence

Dr. Aldridge led the Black Studies Program until 1990. She also served as president of the National Council for Black Studies for two terms. She was a board chairman for the International Black Women's Congress. With this group, she organized important meetings about health issues for African women.

Dr. Aldridge also studied gender and race issues in other countries. She was the first professor at a major university to have a special teaching position named in honor of an African American woman. She has written more than 150 articles and books. As of 2014, she was still active on the board of Clark Atlanta University.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Aldridge has received over 100 awards for her work. Emory University gave her the Great Teachers of the Century award. The Association of Black Sociologists honored her for her teaching and mentoring. In 2006, she received the Charles S. Johnson Award.

Consulting and Community Work

Dr. Aldridge has advised many governments, universities, and companies. She also helped organize the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta.

Awards in Her Honor

Emory University created the Delores P. Aldridge Excellence Award in 2003. This award recognizes students who work to promote diversity. Clark Atlanta University also has awards named after her, like the Aldridge/McMillan Awards for Excellence.

Books by Delores P. Aldridge

• A Decade of Struggle: Options for the Future (1981)
• Black Male-Female Relationships: A Resource Book of Selected Materials (1989)
• Focusing: Black Male-Female Relationships (1991)
• Leadership for Diversity: The Role of African American Studies in a Multicultural World (1994)
• River of Tears: The Politics of Black Women's Health (1993), with La Francis Rodgers-Rose
• Out of the Revolution: The development of Africana studies, with Carlene Young (2000)
• Black Cultures and Race Relations (2002), with James E. Conyers
• Africana Studies: Philosophical Perspectives and Theoretical Paradigms, with E Lincoln James (2007)
• Our Last Hope: Black Male-Female Relationships in Change (2008)
• Imagine a World: Pioneering Black Women Sociologists (2009)
• An Intellectual Biography of W.E.B. DuBois, Initiator of Black Studies in the University, with Nagueyalti Warren (2010)