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175 Makers of History: Delores P. Aldridge

Delores P. Aldridge
First Full-Time African American Emory College Faculty Member

Delores P. Aldridge is recognized as a trailblazer in the fields of race and ethnic relations and the development of African American studies.

She arrived at Emory in 1971, becoming the first African American to hold a tenure-track position in the College. Aldridge is the founding director of the Black Studies program -- now the Department of African American Studies -- the first degree-granting Black Studies program at a major private university in the South.

The University recognized her accomplishments by awarding her the Thomas Jefferson Award in 1992.