The HBCU Criminal Justice Collective Spotlight
The HBCUCJC Spotlight presents past and present practitioners, researchers, and scholars who have contributed to criminology, criminal justice, juvenile justice, and social justice in the 20th and 21st centuries. Each Spotlight includes a summary of the individual’s background, education, career, and contributions.
George Napper, Jr.
Atlanta’s First Black Police Chief
(July 7, 1939 – October 2, 2020)
Early Life and Education
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George Napper, Jr. was born in Alameda County, California. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, he attended the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). His book Blacker Than Thou: The Struggle for Campus Unity (1973) emerged from his master’s thesis and reflected his early engagement with race, equity, and student activism during a transformative era in higher education.
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Professional Leadership and Public Service
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Before entering municipal leadership, Napper served as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Youth and Family Services. In 1978, he made history as Atlanta’s first African American Chief of Police, serving until 1982. He later succeeded Lee P. Brown as Director of the Atlanta Department of Public Safety, continuing his work to modernize and professionalize public safety operations in the city.
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Scholar‑Practitioner and Educator
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Chief Napper was deeply committed to bridging scholarship and practice. He taught at both Spelman College and Emory University in Atlanta, contributing to the academic development of students in criminal justice, sociology, and public safety leadership. His dual identity as a practitioner and educator shaped his influence on future generations of scholars and law enforcement professionals.
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Professional Contributions and Legacy
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Napper was a founding member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), established in 1976. His involvement reflected his lifelong commitment to equity in policing, leadership development, and the advancement of Black professionals in law enforcement. His career stands as a model of service, scholarship, and institutional transformation.
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Selected Sources
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National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). “History and Founding.”
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University of California, Berkeley archives and alumni records.
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City of Atlanta historical public safety leadership records.
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Napper, George. Blacker Than Thou: The Struggle for Campus Unity. 1973. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.
Dr. Coramae Richey Mann (1931–2004)
A Scholar Who Reframed the Study of Race, Gender, and Justice
Dr. Coramae Richey Mann, born January 25, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, emerged as one of the most influential criminologists of the twentieth century. She earned her B.A. (1956) and M.A. (1961) in clinical psychology from Roosevelt University before completing her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1976. Her dissertation, “The Differential Involvement of Blacks in the Criminal Justice System: A Theoretical and Empirical Assessment,” established the foundation for a career devoted to examining racial inequality in crime and justice.
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Education and Early Career
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Before entering academia, Dr. Mann worked with the Chicago Board of Health, the Chicago Psychiatric Institute, and served as Director of Planned Parenthood in Chicago. These early roles shaped her lifelong commitment to public health, social equity, and community well-being.
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She joined the faculty of Florida State University in 1977 as the School of Criminology’s first Black woman professor. In 1988, she moved to Indiana University, where she played a central role in strengthening and expanding its doctoral program in criminal justice.
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Scholarship and Publications
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Dr. Mann authored several landmark works that continue to shape criminological scholarship:
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Female Crime and Delinquency (1984)
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Unequal Justice: A Question of Color (1988)
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When Women Kill (1996)
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Images of Color, Images of Crime (1998, with Marjorie Zatz)
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Her research challenged long-standing assumptions about race, gender, and criminality, and she became a leading national voice on systemic inequality in the justice system.
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Honors and Recognition
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Her legacy is honored through the Coramae Richey Mann Award, established by the American Society of Criminology’s Division on People of Color and Crime. The award recognizes outstanding scholarship on race, ethnicity, crime, and justice—an enduring testament to her influence.
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Mentorship and Doctoral Leadership
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During her tenure at Florida State University (1977–1988), Dr. Mann played a formative role in mentoring a generation of Black criminologists. While archival records from this period do not consistently list dissertation chairs, the historical record clearly shows that she served as chair or committee member for several Black doctoral students whose work aligned with her commitments to racial justice. These students include:
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Becky Pettit Tatum
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Chinita Heard
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Dorothy Taylor
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Evelyn Gilbert
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​Ida Johnson ​
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Jimmy T. Williams
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Robert L. Bing III
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Together, they represent a cohort of at least eight Black doctoral graduates. Their doctoral degrees, scholarship, and careers were shaped in part by Dr. Mann’s mentorship, advocacy, and example.
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Legacy
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Dr. Coramae Richey Mann passed away in 2004, leaving behind a body of scholarship that continues to influence criminology’s understanding of inequality, justice, and social responsibility. Her work, mentorship, and leadership opened doors for scholars of color and reshaped the field’s engagement with race and gender.