Jack Kirkland is an internationally known scholar who lectures, consults and writes on the African-American family and social and economic development. He has been on International Trade Missions to both Indonesia and China, as well as Cultural Exchange to Turkey. Kirkland was an activist and strategist in the Civil Rights Movement and has since held a number of roles as a public servant and elected official. He was the Director of Community Development for all Latin America programs for the Peace Corps; Director of Transportation for the State of Missouri in the Governors’ Cabinet; and Elected to the Board of Education of University City. He has also played a leading role at Washington University, as Director/Co-founder of Black Studies (now African American Studies) and Founder of Social Economic Development, Brown School of Social Work.
In the classroom, Kirkland brings to life issues of community work, group relations, international social development, racism, social planning, and urban environments. His field-based summer course, “Poverty – The Impact of Institutionalized Racism,” immerses students in the community of East St. Louis and teaches them to strategize on policies that can combat the effects of intentional urban blight and poverty.
Currently, he serves as the social economic developer of The Helping Village in East St. Louis. He was also appointed to the St. Louis County Economic Council and now serves on the St. Louis County Land Clearance Redevelopment AgencyKirkland has also designed and led workshops in African-American culture for public school teachers across the country, focused on improving multicultural classroom environments.
Among his many recognitions, Kirkland was awarded a National Service Award from the National Association of Home and Services for Children, a Spirit of Crazy Horse award from the Black Hills Seminars, and the Distinguished Faculty Alumni Award from the Brown School, and he has been listed in the Library of Congress 2014.