Our Story: The Alachua County African & African American Historical Society
Africa and the African Diaspora are Fundamental and Central to the Human Story, driving genetic diversity, cultures, innovations, and the making of the modern world.
Incorporated in the State of Florida In 2020, the African & African American Historical Society, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation. Founding of the AAAHS, Inc. by Dr. Jacob U’Mofe Gordon, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor, University of Kansas, was in response to the growing interest in the dynamic Black History (Global Africa – Africa and the African Diaspora). The decolonization of African history and the regeneration of the contributions of Africa and peoples of African descent are imperative to our understanding of the past, present, and the future.
Mission Statement: To promote the study, research, teaching, and dissemination African and Global African Histories and Cultures.
Activities: (1) Documentation of sources and materials, including Oral Histories; (2) Preservation of Historical materials, focusing on creating and/or the Sustainability of 21st century Libraries, Archives, Museums and Digitization of materials., and (3) Protection of Historical Sources Sites and Materials, especially Archaeological sites in Africa and the Americas, and Heritage Preservation.
Major milestones include Roundtable of Black Organizations in Alachua County (2023), Alachua County Bicentennial Symposium (2024), and research on Global Africa History Makers Project, engaging undergraduates in the University of Florida “Active Learning Program” (2021 to present).
Our Leadership
Executive Officers
President
Jacob U’Mofe Gordon, Ph.D.; LL.D (Hon)
Jacob U’Mofe Gordon, Ph.D.; LL.D (Hon), is Professor Emeritus of African & African American Studies (History) at the University of Kansas; and the Second Kwame Nkrumah Endowed Chair, University of Ghana. Dr. Gordon is the author and/or co-author of more than 30 books, monographs, and numerous articles, including Africa and the African Diaspora in the Development of the Global North: The American Story (2020), African American Studies: 50 Years at the University of Florida (2021), Aggrey of Africa and the Americas, 1875-1927 (2026), African Americans in the Making of Alachua County: Past, Present & The Future (2026).
Vice President
Dr. Agnes Ngoma Leslie
Dr. Agnes Ngoma Leslie is a Master Lecturer and Outreach Director at the Center for African Studies at the University of Florida. She has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Florida. She teaches courses in African studies with a specialization in “Women and Politics” and “China and Africa Relations.” Her publications include Social Movements and Democracy in Africa: The Impact of Women’s Rights in Botswana published by Routledge in New York and London, Encyclopedia of African History and Culture (senior editor): A Learning Source Book. She has served as editor for the African Studies Quarterly special issues publications focusing on China and Africa’s relationship and published refereed publications. She is also the editor of Teach Africa: Taking Africa to the Classroom, a publication which promotes the teaching of Africa and has edited and published more than 20 editions of the publications. She has been a recipient of a Fulbright award to Zambia from 2015-2017.
Secretary
Dr. Barbara McDade Gordon
Dr. Barbara McDade Gordon is Professor Emerita, Geography and African Studies, University of Florida. She is an affiliate faculty member in the UF Center for the Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship (CAME) in the College of Arts and serves on the African American Studies Advisory Committee. She serves on the Alachua County African American History Task Force, is Past-President of the Retired Faculty of the University of Florida, and Secretary of the United Nations Association Gainesville Chapter. She received her Ph.D. from University of Texas at Austin. She was Fulbright Scholar, a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Ghana, and founding member of the African Studies Association of Africa. Her seminal book, African Entrepreneurship: Theory and Reality (1998), co-edited with Dr. Anita Spring inspired research on innovation among indigenous businesses in Africa.
Treasurer
Dr. Alyssa Cole
Dr. Alyssa Cole is an Assistant Professor in African American Studies, specializing in the intersections of history, health activism, and Black communities in the Midwest. Dr. Cole completed her Ph.D. in history at the University of Kansas, where she also received an M.A. in African and African American Studies. Dr. Cole’s research focuses on health activism, exploring the historical context and contemporary implications of Black individuals’ and communities’ advocacy for better health outcomes. Her current work, “Movement before the Movement: Black Women’s Health Activism in Kansas City, 1900-1940,” explores the roles of Black women who advocated for health equity during the early twentieth century. Her research explores the intersections of race, class, and gender, and highlights the agency of Black individuals in their pursuit of health equity.
Board Members & Committees
Public Relations Committee Chair
R. Hunt Davis, Jr.
R. Hunt Davis, Jr. (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin) is Professor Emeritus of History and former Director, Center for African Studies, University of Florida. Hunt and his wife Jeanne arrived in Gainesville in fall, 1967, to become the first historian of Africa at UF. His teaching covered the history of Africa at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, while his research has focused largely on southern Africa. The author of several books and numerous articles and book reviews, Hunt also has extensive editorial experience as the editor of both the African Studies Review and the African Studies Quarterly. He also has worked extensively with public school teachers, leading summer institutes, conducting in-service workshops, and organizing and leading teacher trips to Africa. His initial travel to Africa was for his Ph.D. dissertation research in South Africa, and in 1999 he was a Visiting Fulbright Professor at the University of Cape Town. He has traveled widely on the continent and has presented lectures and seminars at several African universities.
Education Committee Chair
Phyllis Edwards Erney
Phyllis Edwards Erney, Ed.S. and M.Ed. – University of Florida, retired Alachua County Educator. Ms. Erney has been a resident in Alachua County for 47 years and served as an educator in the Alachua county public schools for 32 years, as a special education teacher and school counselor. She was selected as Alachua county and State of Florida Middle School Counselor of the year in 2006 for her advocacy and service. Since retirement, Ms. Erney has continued to serve as a community advocate for public education by her leadership role on the Alachua County League of Women Voters Education Committee, the Alachua County Schools Discipline Committee, Gainesville for All Empowerment Zone Education Committee and the Alachua County African American History Task Force.
Research & Development Committee Chair (Vacant)
Sustainability & Budget Committee Chair (Vacant)
Founding Members: Dr. Sophia Acord, Paul Adams, Stephanie Birch, Betty Calhoun, Dr. Thomas Erney, Dr. Delia Steverson, Lizzie Robinson Jenkins (Lifetime Member)