Francine Childs: Life and Contributions at Ohio University & Beyond, 1974-2023Main MenuIntroductionSetting the SceneEarly Life & CareerAcademic EngagementCommunity Service & PracticeAcknowledgementsReferencesMt. Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society & Ohio University Libraries1311af0f68bbb33cc3d859eb693829683d64f3ee
Impact and Legacy
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Dr. Francine Childs was an educator for emancipation. Her formative years in the American South sharpened in her the understanding of the liberatory power of education—it was emancipatory power.
She completed her entire education—primary, secondary, undergraduate, and graduate programs in institutions dedicated to making education accessible to Black people and to nurturing their sense of service. She brought a paradigm to Athens and to Ohio University, and it was transformative.
When Dr. Childs came to Ohio University in 1974, she brought an interdisciplinary perspective. Her undergraduate degree was in biology. Her grandmother, Clara Frazier, known affectionately as “Mama Clara,” was the daughter of Professor R. T. James. Mama Clara was a member of the “Heroines of Jericho” and was “instrumental in helping to get the first two-room red brick Booker T. Washington School” built in 1930. Her personal praxis was shaped by a family tradition of educational service and developed in Black educational structures in the southern United States during the early post-War War II decades. Her praxis was further informed by ideas and tactics in important streams of American thought, including the Black Studies movement.
A View For The Future
In the 2012 interview with Winsome Chunnu-Bryda and Travis Boyce, Dr. Childs reflected on her vision for the future of Black Studies, offering the following insights:
Afro-American studies programs have made significant contributions to the educational community in the past and will continue to enrich the academic, and wider social life of Afro-Americans as well as other Americans, and the world.
It is the role of progressive forces among the university. Black faculty members and students join forces in keeping a vital dimension of the university community functioning.
Black studies departments must be comprehensive in scope. They must be academically sound. These departments must continue to wage the struggle against racism and oppression.
They must engage in far-reaching research. They must assess students’ needs, re-evaluate their programs, revise and upgrade the curriculum and serve as a vehicle for social change.
With the current focus on science and technology and new strategies for survival, people will have to acquire new skills to make transitions from obsolete to new positions, to seek advanced degrees, to continue learning after a stoppage period to enter the world of work. But more than anything, people will begin to seek knowledge for knowledge’s sake, or to acquire skills in an area of interest after retirement.
Black studies programs must develop community-oriented workshops and seminars in educational development, gerontology, and environmental and consumer protection. Lifelong learning and community service must become the ultimate mission of Black studies programs, as of all true education.
On Continuity - What Would She Do Now?
"Dr. Francine Childs is Professor Emerita in the Department of African American Studies at OHIO where she has served in various capacities, including but not limited to curriculum chair (1974-1996), director of summer programs (1975-1978) and department chairperson (1984-1989). This award is named in her honor to recognize and celebrate her significant contributions to the university, her leadership in academia and her role as a change catalyst in the lives of OHIO students." (Dr. Francine Childs Diversity Leadership Award)
Despite its vicissitudes, the Black Studies project remains present at Ohio University and the Black presence endures.
In 2024, due to Ohio law SB 83, Ohio University was unable to award the Francine Childs Diversity Leadership Award or any other college and university-wide scholarships that support and encourage achievement by historically marginalized communities.
What would Dr. Childs have said about this situation? What would she do?
1media/fc-collage-2.png2024-07-16T16:09:31-07:00Mt. Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society & Ohio University Libraries1311af0f68bbb33cc3d859eb693829683d64f3eeFrancine Childs: Life and Contributions at Ohio University & Beyond, 1974-2023Mt. Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society & Ohio University Libraries21splash2024-08-15T07:17:54-07:00Mt. Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society & Ohio University Libraries1311af0f68bbb33cc3d859eb693829683d64f3ee
1media/2022.9.18_BlackAlumniEvent_nick-37_thumb.jpg2024-08-16T12:25:33-07:00Black Alumni Reunion, 20222Returning alum, including former members of the Gospel Voices of Faith, sing at the celebration. Photo by Charlie Nick / Ohio University LibrariesBlack alum clapping and singing with an accompanist on violin outside Ohio University's Alden Librarymedia/2022.9.18_BlackAlumniEvent_nick-37.jpgplain2024-08-16T12:29:03-07:0020220918111707-0500Ohio University alumni of the âGospel Voices of Faithâ gather to sing during this yearâs Black Alumni celebration held at the Alden Library on Sept. 18, 2022. As alumni gathered throughout the weekend, many rejoiced in a performance to celebrate everyone coming together. Photo by Charlie Nick / Ohio University Libraries20220918111707-0500
1media/childs-appreciation-dinner-program_1977-06-04_01_thumb.jpg2024-08-08T11:30:03-07:00Francine Childs Appreciation Dinner program, June 4, 19771Red front cover of dinner program booklet with black graphic silhouette of Francine Child's facemedia/childs-appreciation-dinner-program_1977-06-04_01.jpgplain2024-08-08T11:30:04-07:001977-06-04No copyrightOhio University Archives, Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, Ohio University Libraries.
