Keith Hollingsworth

I am a professor of business administration that is thrilled to be spending one year at Princeton University teaching a course on Black Entrepreneurial History in the US. For the past three decades I have taught at Morehouse College in Atlanta, the only college in the world focused solely on Black men and their development. Though my background is industrial engineering and I have taught mainly quantitative courses, I have spent the past decade researching Black entrepreneurs in history and the factors needed for them to succeed. I am very excited to partner with the Keller Center to continue teaching and researching this topic.

What will students be able to take away from your class?

One, I hope students gather facts they have not known before this class. They will find entrepreneurs they have never encountered, a rich business tradition that is underreported, and an inspiring community constantly seeking to find autonomy and dignity. Two, I want students to view the world through a different lens. We must understand how the struggles of the past now influence our present. I believe we cannot move towards racial justice until we understand more fully the racial injustice that has preceded us.

How are you involved with the Keller Center?

I am privileged to be a Visiting Lecturer for the 2022-23 academic year. During this time, I will teach a course on Black Entrepreneurial History in the US. It is a course I developed at Morehouse College and it is one of the few of its kind in the US. In addition, I hope to also use my time at Keller to explore ways to disseminate the information in this class more broadly. And finally, I hope to be able to expand my knowledge in the area of Black Entrepreneurship working with the students and my colleagues.

What do you appreciate most about the Keller Center?

The Keller Center is inspiring me with their efforts in the area of social impact. The Center recognizes that we cannot change the future without recognizing the mistakes of the past. Having guest lectures that highlight the successes of Black entrepreneurs but also their challenges has been enlightening. Now, to invite me to be a part of this effort, just demonstrates to me their commitment to learning more. I want to learn along with them.

Publications

Legitimizing black businesses: three examples from the Civil War to civil rights

Wadhwani and Lubinski (2017) encourage the study of legitimacy, the sense that a new organization or venture “belongs” to, or fits within, the social construct of its time. To this end, this query will consider methods used in the period between the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement to show legitimacy in black economic endeavors.

Examining Frank Adair Jr. as an African American CPA pioneer: A Historical Note

In 1932, Frank Adair Jr. achieved his Certified Public Accountant status as the sixth African American CPA in the US. Although his career was brief, it typifies not only the difficulty experienced by an African American achieving this designation in the Jim Crow South, but also the factors that were necessary for such an achievement to occur.