Karsonya Wise Whitehead facts for kids
Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead is a well-known American educator, author, and radio host. She is also a speaker and documentary filmmaker. Many people know her as the #blackmommyactivist. She started The Karson Institute for Race, Peace, and Social Justice. She is also a professor at Loyola University Maryland, where she teaches about communication and African American studies. You can hear her host the radio show Today With Kaye on WEAA. She also writes opinion pieces for the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper.
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About Kaye Whitehead
Kaye Whitehead has a strong educational background. She earned her first degree from Lincoln University. She then studied International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She also learned about making films at the New York Film Academy. Later, she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Before becoming a professor, Ms. Whitehead was a middle school teacher in Baltimore City. She also worked as a documentary filmmaker for Metro TV, which is part of PBS. She was also a senior producer for Music Television Networks (MTV). In 2001, she directed and produced a film called The Twin Towers: A History. This film was nominated for a New York Emmy Award, which was her third Emmy nomination.
Ms. Whitehead has held important roles in national organizations. She served as the National Secretary for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). She was also the National Secretary and then the National President (from 2020 to 2023) for the National Women's Studies Association.
Awards and Recognition
Kaye Whitehead has received many awards for her work.
Recent Awards (2020-2021)
- In 2021, the Baltimore Business Journal named her a "Leader in Diversity."
- Also in 2021, she won the Edward R. Murrow Regional Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
- She also received the 2021 Chesapeake Associated Press Award for Outstanding Editorial or Commentary.
- The Amistad Committee gave her The Amistad Award for her work in human rights and social justice.
- In 2020, the Daily Record chose her as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women.
- The Baltimore Sun named her the Best Radio Host in 2020.
Earlier Achievements (2013-2019)
- In 2019, she received the Collegium Visionary Award from the College of Holy Cross.
- She also won the Exceptional Merit in Media Award (EMMA) from the National Women's Political Caucus. This was for her work on a special journal issue called #BlackGirlActivism: Exploring the Ways We Come Though the Storm.
- The Baltimore Sun also listed her as one of Baltimore's 25 "Women to Watch in 2019."
- Essence magazine included her on their 2019 "Woke 100 List" of "black women advocating for change."
- In 2016, she received the "Distinguished Alumni" Award from the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
- In 2014, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
- In 2013, she received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Engaged Scholarship from Loyola University Maryland.
Books and Curriculum Work
Kaye Whitehead is also a writer. She creates educational materials for schools. She put together a special curriculum called Trump Syllabus K12 curriculum: Lesson Plans for Teaching During this New Age of Resistance. This curriculum was created with help from many people.
She has written four books. One of her books is called Letters for My Black Sons: Raising Boys in a Post-Racial America. Another important book is Notes from a Colored Girl: The Civil War Pocket Diaries of Emilie Frances Davis. This book was reviewed in the Journal of American History. A documentary film called The Women of Philadelphia was made about this book. The book also won the 2015 Darlene Clark Hine Award from the Organization of American Historians and the 2014 Letitia Woods Brown Book Award from the Association of Black Women Historians.
