Juneteenth: Building on a Legacy of Freedom with Dr. Stacey Close

A native of Georgia, Stacey Close has worked in higher education for more than 30 years.  A professor of African American history, Close received his Ph.D. and M.A. from The Ohio State University and B.A. from Albany State College, a HBCU in Georgia. He has made paper presentations at conferences such as the Southern Conference on African American Studies, Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, and Professional and Organizational Development Network. He has published with journals and presses such as the Journal of Negro History, CT Explored, Wesleyan University Press, The Griot, Humanities, and Guilford Press.  Some of his other honors include Connecticut State NAACP 100 Most Influential, Eastern Connecticut State University s Faculty Teaching Award,  Hartford Courant Magazine’s  12 Hot Professors, and being an American Council on Education Fellow.  He has also worked in higher education administration at the department chair level, director level, and senior administration. Close has also served as panelist and guest on shows such as the Smithsonian Channel’s “Blacks and the Space Race,” The Green Book,” and NPR’s Where We Live and Disrupted.