Dr. Jackie Kegley — philosophy professor and director of the Helen Louise Hawk Honors Program at California State University, Bakersfield — was recently recognized for her efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion.
Dr. Kegley has received the University of California, Los Angeles’ James C. Williamson Award, named after UCLA’s first Black football player. Each year, the award honors educators who promote equity, diversity and inclusion through their work.
“I’m deeply honored and humbled to receive the award,” Dr. Kegley said. “I was really surprised. It felt like it came out of the blue, but I’m thrilled.”
The award is presented by UCLA’s Beloved Community Initiative at the end of April every year in recognition of MLK Remembrance Day, the day Martin Luther King Jr. visited the campus in 1965.
The term “beloved community” was coined by philosopher Josiah Royce and popularized by MLK Jr. during the civil rights movement. It is a vision of a world in which racism, poverty and homelessness is replaced with a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood and everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
The Beloved Community Initiative offers interdisciplinary multimedia experiences that explore the idea of the “beloved community,” examining contemporary and historical issues through film, broadcasts, panels and more, in the hopes of creating positive change.
While pursuing her doctorate in philosophy at Columbia University, Dr. Kegley did her dissertation on Royce and ended up writing two books and several journal articles about him.
“I was interested in science, and he did a lot of work on the philosophy of science,” she said. “Royce saw science as a form of community and that it worked because it is a community that works together and helps share and spread knowledge. He saw that as one of the models of a great community.”
Dr. Kegley said having a sense of community is also an important part of achieving equity, diversity and inclusion, something she has tried to get across to her students at CSUB, such as in her course on personhood and on race, class, gender and sexuality.
“My teaching is guided by the notion of having a classroom that’s a community,” she said. “I’m interested in supporting students in their success, and inclusivity is one of the things I focus on. I see every student as being a contributor, and each student should know to respect each other.
Dr. Kegley said being recognized now for her efforts at CSUB and her past work on Royce and the “beloved community” is very gratifying.
“It’s a great feeling. It makes me feel like all the years I’ve worked on this has been worthwhile,” she said.
CSUB Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Thomas Wallace introduced Dr. Kegley during the awards ceremony last month and said she is worthy of the recognition.
“I was happy to see Dr. Kegley recognized for her work in diversity, equity and inclusion,” he said. “She is deserving of the James C. Williamson Award because the work she performs in this field is not done for recognition, but more because she knows the value it brings to our society.”
Dr. Kegley has received other awards over the course of her career, including the California State University Wang Family Excellence Award in 2000, the Herbert Schneider Award from the Society for Advancement of American Philosophy in 2006 and the CSUB President’s Medal in 2015.
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