By Angela Cookston
Professor Dexter Gordon, who started at the University of Puget Sound in 2002, has had a profound impact on the on and off-campus communities alike. From changing the on-campus conversation about race to teaching freshman seminars, he is a trailblazer for the African American Studies and Communication departments.
Gordon is currently the director of the African American Studies program, and is also a professor of Communication.
As a professor, Gordon faces many challenges. “I often teach … these issues that students have very little experience in a classroom exploring,” Gordon said. “So that’s the challenge, to bring my students into that difficult but necessary conversation.”
But overall, Gordon enjoys the way his topics challenge students. “I happen to believe that the classroom, as I declare to my students, is a workroom where we have an encounter of ideas.”
Gordon has always taught, even before becoming a professor. He started by teaching in a Baptist church Sunday school when he was a child, and later in secondary school taught sports to his peers. “I’ve been a teacher literally since I’ve been a child,” he said.
When asked why he had chosen to teach at the University of Puget Sound, Gordon said, “I came to the University of Puget Sound, one might say, quite by accident.”
Gordon was working at the University of Alabama when he was invited to present his work at the University of Puget Sound. At this time, he had already accepted a job at another university but could not find housing for his family.
When he visited the Pacific Northwest, he thought, “This is the prettiest place I’ve seen in the nation.” It was then that the University of Puget Sound offered Gordon a job.
Gordon explained how the Pacific Northwest the perfect place for him to live. “I grew up in Jamaica. Where I grew up, the sea is in front of you and mountains are at your back. So having lived in the U.S. for a while on these flat lands, I was losing my soul. I needed water and mountains. So when I came out here [to Tacoma] … I called my spouse and said, ‘I’ve found the place.’”
Since starting at the University, Gordon has accomplished much, including playing a fundamental part in helping African American Studies become a major.
Outside of the University of Puget Sound, Gordon is actively involved with the Tacoma social justice community. He is an active part of the group “The Conversation,” which tackles challenging and taboo topics not often discussed. He is also involved with the “Tacoma Pierce County Black Collective,” a historical group that meets to discuss issues of politics, economics, housing and other impacts on the African American community. Additionally, Gordon is a co-chair of the Community Healthcare Alliance (CHA), a Pierce County group which seeks to hold healthcare providers accountable.
Most notably, Gordon is the Director of the Race and Pedagogy Institute, which he started alongside colleagues Grace Livingston, Nancy Bristow and Carolyn Weisz.
Gordon explained that the Race and Pedagogy Institute began following repeated blackface incidents on campus in 2002. Students of color began to question their place at the University and felt their campus community did not hear their concerns.
In response to this lack of community support, Gordon began gathering colleagues to address one question: “What’s the role of race in the development and delivery of your curriculum?”
These initial gatherings brought in small numbers and weren’t making the impact that they needed to. “We wanted to affect campus with this challenge around issues of education and race,” Gordon said. “And so we decided we want to host a conference.”
Gordon said that they were expecting 50 people at their first conference, but many more turned out. “Eventually, it was 2,500 people [who attended] the weekend of the first Race and Pedagogy National Conference. This was September 14 and 15, 2006.”
“It was successful beyond expectation,” Gordon said.
Race and Pedagogy National Conferences take place once every four years. The next conference will take place September 27-29, 2018. It is open to students, faculty and staff.