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.
Dr. Darnell F. Hawkins
Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois Chicago
Dr. Darnell F. Hawkins is a leading scholar of the race-and-crime nexus and the sociology of law. His research and publications have informed national conversations on violence prevention, racial profiling, and structural inequality. Throughout his career, he has advocated for racial equity in the administration of justice.
Education
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B.A., Kansas State University (1968)
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M.A.T., Wayne State University (1970)
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A.M., University of Michigan (1974)
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Ph.D., University of Michigan (1976)
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J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1981)
Professional Leadership & Service
Before retirement, Dr. Hawkins was actively involved in the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and the Association of Black Sociologists, where he mentored numerous scholars and students. In 2017, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the ASC Division of People of Color and Crime (DPCC).
Legacy
Dr. Hawkins’ scholarship continues to inform research policies, and practices. His contributions remain essential to understanding structural racism and how it shapes the administration of justice, equity, and community well‑being.
Dr. Lee P. Brown
Overview
Dr. Lee P. Brown is one of the most influential figures in modern American policing and public administration. He was born on October 4, 1937, in Wewoka, Oklahoma and raised in Fresno, California. He earned his M.A. (1968) and Ph.D. (1970) in Criminology from UC Berkeley. His dissertation research focused on police‑community relations, laying the foundation for his later national leadership in community policing. Throughout his career, he contributed to and shaped national conversations on community policing, urban public safety, and criminal justice reform. His career spans groundbreaking academic work, transformative leadership in multiple U.S. cities, and historic firsts in public office.
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Career Highlights & Academia
Throughout his career, Dr. Brown remained active in academia, teaching and mentoring students at several major institutions.
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Howard University — Taught in the School of Urban Affairs.
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Texas Southern University — Taught courses in public administration and criminal justice; maintained ties with TSU during and after his mayoral tenure.
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Rice University — Lectured on urban policy, policing, and public administration.
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University of Houston — Engaged in teaching and public policy programming related to urban governance and community safety.
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Policing Leadership​
Dr. Brown’s first major leadership role came in Portland, Oregon, where he served as Director of the Portland Bureau of Police in the early 1970s. He introduced community‑oriented policing strategies, built partnerships with neighborhood groups, and developed a reputation as a reform‑minded administrator who blended academic research with practical policing.
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Public Safety Commissioner, Atlanta (1978–1982).
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Chief of Police, Houston (1982–1990).
In Houston Dr. Brown implemented one of the nation’s earliest and most comprehensive community policing models.
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President, International Association of Chiefs of Police (1990–1991).
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Police Commissioner, New York City (1990–1992). Led the nation’s largest police department and expanded community policing initiatives across all boroughs.
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Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (1993–1996).
Appointed by President Bill Clinton to coordinate drug policy in federal agencies.
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Mayor, Houston, Texas (1998-2004).
Dr. Brown was the first African American mayor of Houston, Texas, and was reelected twice. As mayor, he focused on community development, infrastructure, public safety, and transportation. He was reelected.
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Scholarship and Selected Publications
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“The Death of Police–Community Relations” (1973). A critical analysis of the erosion of trust between law enforcement and the public during a period of national unrest. Occasional Paper published by the Howard University Institute for Urban Affairs and Research.
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The Administration of Criminal Justice: A View from Black America (1974).
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Community Policing: A Practical Guide for Police Officials (1989).
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Policing in the 21st Century: Community Policing (2012).
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Legacy
Dr. Brown is widely recognized as an architect of community policing, a scholar, and a trailblazing public safety leader. His career continues to serve as a model for integrating academic expertise with public service.
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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.