Dr. Angela Farris Watkins is an educator, author, and public intellectual whose work influences fields at the intersection of psychology, education, African American studies, liberation, and civil rights. She is an associate professor of psychology and director of the Leadership and Civic Engagement Program at Spelman College. Dr. Farris Watkins is a graduate of Spelman, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (with honors) in child development. She also earned a Master of Education degree in Early Childhood Education and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Psychology, both from Georgia State University.
In response to the injustices facing African American learners, Dr. Farris Watkins stresses the need for culturally responsive pedagogy. Her publications, Nurturing African American College Students: A Learning Styles Approach (in Mentoring African American College Students by L. Gallien and M. Peterson, Editors – Allyn & Bacon Publishers), Learning Styles of African American Children: A Developmental Consideration (Journal of Black Psychology), and interview for the New York Times, For These Families, H.B.C.U.s Aren’t Just an Option. They’re a Tradition., are a testament to her advocacy. Dr. FarrisWatkins is also an expert in African American psychology and the author of African American Psychology Review (Allyn & Bacon Publishers). To address the need for HIV prevention programs targeted at African Americans, Watkins developed a model HIV/AIDS curriculum at Spelman College. She was supported by funding from the United Negro College Fund and the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Farris Watkins is trained in the philosophy of nonviolence espoused by her late uncle, Martin Luther King, Jr. She conductsKingian Nonviolence teach-ins to insure that the application of King’s principles for social change continues. Dr. Farris Watkinshas written award winning children’s books about King; Love Will See You Through (Simon & Schuster Publishing), My Uncle Martin’s Big Heart and My Uncle Martin’s Words for America (Harry Abrams Publishing). Dr. Farris Watkins is the editor of Martin Luther King, Jr. A King Family Tribute (Harry Abrams Publishing). She served as contributing editor for the Infusion Model for Teaching Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nonviolent Principles in Schools (a project for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, funded by the United States Department of Education).
Dr. Farris Watkins serves on the boards of The King Center and Four Corners Primary Care. Her civic memberships includeAlpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc., the International Women’s Forum, and Ebenezer Baptist Church.
My reason for wanting to serve on the board is because I am keenly knowledgeable about the college, I have a vested interest in the governance of the college, and I bear a genuine concern about the growth of Spelman College.
I am a fourth-generation alumna (Class of 1986), the mother of a Spelman alumna (Class of 2019), serving as college faculty now for twenty-eight years, served for six year as Department Chair of the largest department in the college, and served as a representative to the Board of Trustees and a member of the College Budget and Allocation Committee, both as a former Faculty Council President. I currently serve as Director of Spelman’s Leadership and Civic Engagement program, a member of the Faculty Council, and a member of the Tenure and Promotion Committee.
I was nominated by my faculty colleagues to serve as Faculty Trustee.
I am a fourth-generation alumna (Class of 1986), the mother of a Spelman alumna (Class of 2019), serving as college faculty now for twenty-eight years, served for six year as Department Chair of the largest department in the college, and served as a representative to the Board of Trustees and a member of the College Budget and Allocation Committee, both as a former Faculty Council President. I currently serve as Director of Spelman’s Leadership and Civic Engagement program, a member of the Faculty Council, and a member of the Tenure and Promotion Committee.