When Dr. Walter R. Allen takes on a research project, there must always be a larger purpose — something he discusses with graduate students and young academics. According to Allen, African American scholars cannot live in an ivory tower. All research — including his more than 150 publications — must, in some way, illuminate the challenges that communities of color face.
Throughout his career, Allen, a sociologist, has studied comparative race, ethnicity and inequality. While his home base is the University of California, Los Angeles, where he is distinguished professor of sociology and the Allan Murray Carter professor of higher education, Allen’s influence stretches throughout higher education. There is his research on HBCUs, his testimony on cases to advance equity in higher education, his unwavering commitment to building future generations of scholars and his active interest in global issues.
In recognition of a career that impacts people inside and outside of the academy and his tireless pursuit of equity, Allen is a 2020 recipient of the Diverse: Issues In Higher Education Dr. John Hope Franklin Award.
What makes this recognition especially poignant for Allen is that he knew the late Dr. Franklin, who taught at the University of Chicago when Allen was a graduate student. Then, when Allen was an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, Franklin was at Duke University. While there, Allen would tag along with a colleague, Dr. Genna Rae McNeil, a former student of Franklin’s, to meetings and gatherings at Franklin’s home.
“I think about the excellence, the traditions and the contributions of Dr. John Hope Franklin as a model that I’ve always tried to emulate,” says Allen. “I never will match it, but I’m always using it as a guide for a career. I’m thrilled and humbled and re-energized to work even harder and try to rise to the standard.”
Inspiration
