Johnathan White, Ph.D.

Educator. Artist. Minister. Freedom Writer—Freedom Fighter. Public Intellectual. Mentor. Worshipper.

Dr. Johnathan JeVon White was born in Norfolk, VA. He graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a B.A. in Political Science. He earned his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh, specializing in modern U.S. and African American history. His dissertation examined the labor union of Pittsburgh’s black jazz musicians before and after integration, and how collective memory re-imagines the past. 

He is an Associate Teaching Professor at Penn State Greater Allegheny. He has taught courses in history, African American studies, black arts, and leadership development. He co-founded the Study of Hip-Hop Conference and the Stewart and Jones Scholar Leadership Program. He is a founding member of the Crossing Bridges committee which serves the surrounding community. In addition, he chairs the Racial Equity task force at PSUGA. He is also creator of the Black Woman Reaffirmed video project. His up coming album, Love Algorithms, is an eclectic mix of poetry, hip-hop, and spoken word.

He is a board member of the Langston Hughes Poetry Society. In addition, he served as lead instructor of the Full Armor Institute, mentoring young black men at Mt. Olive Baptist church. Lastly, he has conducted black history workshops and seminars on living a vibrant lifestyle that synthesizes faith and the pursuit of social justice.

Teaching Interests: Modern US History; Black Studies; Radical Black Thought and Black Intellectual History; Black Artistic and Oral Expression; Hip-Hop and Revolution; Leadership Studies

Area(s) of Expertise : History; Black Studies; Leadership Studies; Critical Hip-Hop Analysis