Asa Grant Hilliard, III

Who was Asa Grant Hilliard, III?

Asa G. Hilliard III was an African-American professor of educational psychology who worked on indigenous ancient African history, culture, education and society. He was the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Urban Education at Georgia State University, with joint appointments in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education.

In 1981, Hilliard introduced the concept of "Baseline Essays" to the Portland, Oregon school district. This resulted in a collection of essays advocating Afrocentrism, authored by "six scholars," known as the African-American Baseline Essays, which were adopted by the district in 1989.

He was also the recipient of awards including the Outstanding Scholarship Award from the Association of Black Psychologists, a Knight Commander of the Humane Order of the African Redemption and the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Association of Teachers of Education. Hilliard was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.