In
Roots, Alex Haley wrote about the griot and his unique function in some African
societies. Professor Edgar Allan Toppin is one of our outstanding griots; he
has dedicated his life to researching and interpreting the black American experience.
Professor Toppin is a history
professor and is also dean of Virginia State University's Graduate School. He
received bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Howard University where
he was taught by distinguished historians such as Professors Rayford Logan and
John Hope Franklin. Professor Toppin received his Ph.D. in history from Northwestern
University in 1955.
He has taught history at
Alabama and Virginia State Universities and the University of Akron. Professor
Toppin has been a visiting professor at the following universities: Western
Reverse, San Francisco State and Cincinnati, and for an academic year held the
James Pinckney Harrison Endowed Chair in History at the College of William and
Mary.
Professor Toppin has written
nine books and many scholarly articles. The two most widely read are A Biographical
History of Blacks in America and a textbook entitled The Black American
in United States History. His television program, "Americans from Africa"
has been viewed throughout the United States.
Professor Toppin is also
a cultural leader. He has served on governing boards of the Association for
the Study of Afro-American Life and History, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,
the Virginia Historical Society and the Black History Museum and Cultural Center
in Richmond. Several state governors have chosen him to serve on prestigious
committees.
