Wake Forest names Corey D.B. Walker Dean of the Divinity School
This message is sent on behalf of President Susan R. Wente and Provost Michele Gillespie.
Dear students, faculty and staff,
Following the completion of a national search, we are pleased to announce that Dr. Corey D.B. Walker has been named Dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity, effective immediately.
Dr. Walker is a distinguished scholar of religion and Wake Forest Professor of Humanities and has served as interim dean for the school since January. He is an ordained American Baptist clergyperson who preaches and teaches in congregations and universities across the nation and has published broadly on African American religion and philosophy, African American history and culture, and religion and American public life. He was appointed a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar for the 2023-2024 academic year. He has also been instrumental in the University’s Strategic Framework process, serving as Vice-Chair for the Core Planning Team.
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
African American Studies director Corey D. B. Walker explains Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a community celebration that includes a variety of programs and festivities including African American cultural fairs and exhibitions, artistic performances, historical reenactments, lectures and public conversations, parades, community feasts and religious services.
In this Q&A, Corey D. B. Walker, Wake Forest Professor of the Humanities and director of the Program in African American Studies discusses the history of Juneteenth and the importance of marking the holiday.
The story also includes recommended resources for learning more about the holiday.
The University will be closed in celebration of Juneteenth on Monday, June 20.
Categories: Inside WFU
Reynolda Campus closed Jan. 17 in observance of MLK Day
As a reminder, the Wake Forest University Reynolda Campus will be closed Monday, Jan. 17 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State University will hold their annual joint celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 17, at 7 p.m.
On Jan. 17, at noon, the WFU African American Studies Program will also host a virtual panel discussion on the connections between climate change, environmental justice and democracy. The event, “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” will feature Wake Forest Professor of the Humanities Corey D. B. Walker in conversation with environmental justice activists and organizers. Learn more and register here.
Categories: Events, University Announcement
“Campus Dialogues: Who and Where Do We Honor?” on Nov. 1
This message is shared on behalf of Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer José Villalba.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) is leading University efforts to advance our institutional commitment to promoting and sustaining a sense of belonging and inclusivity among our community. Toward that end, the ODI has established the Honorifics Planning Group (HPG) – composed of faculty, staff students and alumni – to engage with Wake Forest constituents and provide opportunities for feedback as the group carries on the next phase of work concerning the guiding principles for naming adopted in April 2021 by the Board of Trustees.
The ODI and HPG have been organizing structured, open dialogues throughout the semester and working with the Wake Forest community to collect names, themes and concepts which are not currently honored or remembered as fully as possible on campus.
The next campus dialogue – “What’s in a Name: Who and Where Do We Honor?” – will be held on Monday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m. in the Z. Smith Reynolds Library Auditorium. We invite you to join a conversation on the topic of naming, who we honor and where.
Participants include:
- Corey D.B. Walker, professor of the humanities and director of the Wake Forest University Program in African American Studies;
- Sherri Lawson Clark, associate professor of anthropology at Wake Forest;
- Jon Bohland, associate professor and director of the International Studies Program at Hollins University; and
- José Villalba, vice president for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer.
The event will take place in person, but participants may register to join virtually via Zoom webinar.
Honoring and remembering our values should be central to our mission as a University. These initiatives will ensure that all in our community have an opportunity to share their perspectives and insights.
Categories: Events, Guest Post
Julia Jordan-Zachery will join WFU faculty as chair of the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department
The following is a guest post from the Office of the Dean of the College. 
Professor Julia Jordan-Zachery will be joining the faculty as chair of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department in July. Jordan-Zachery is a leading voice on Black feminism and public policy, having published six books within the field including “Shadow Bodies: Black Women, Ideology, and Representation” (Rutgers University Press, 2017) and co-edited “Black Girl Magic Beyond the Hashtag: Twenty-First-Century Acts of Self-Definition” (Arizona University Press, 2019) and “Black Political Women: Demanding Citizenship, Challenging Power, and Seeking Justice” (SUNY University Press, 2018). Her first publication, “Black Women, Cultural Images and Social Policy” (Routledge, 2010) won the W. E. B. Dubois Best Book Award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists and the Anna Julia Cooper Outstanding Book Publication Award by the Association for the Study of Black Women in Politics.
“I am thrilled that Julia Jordan-Zachery is joining Wake Forest University’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department. Julia is a noted scholar of Black feminism, an exceptional teacher-scholar, a practitioner of the engaged liberal arts through her important community justice work, and if all those amazing and welcome attributes were not enough, she will be serving as the next WGSS department chair. Students and faculty alike will all benefit from Julia’s powerful mind, deep dedication to substantive student learning, and impressive leadership skills. The WGSS Department could not have found a more exceptional and well-suited scholar for this critical role,” Dean of the College Michele Gillespie said.
Wake Forest Professor of the Humanities Corey D. B. Walker. Walker, inaugural director of the Program in African American Studies at Wake Forest, said, “I am excited to be reunited with a dear friend and committed intellectual. Black feminist studies is foundational to African American studies and to a liberal arts education. With Julia, we will continue to challenge ourselves as teachers and scholars to realize a broader and deeper understanding of Pro Humanitate.”
Read more about Jordan-Zachery, including a Q&A, on the College News website.
Categories: Faculty News, Guest Post, Inside WFU
