Congratulations to Professor Barbara Savage! Prof. Savage is set to receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree during the University of Pennsylvania's 2025 Commencement. See the press release below:
Barbara D. Savage is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor Emerita of American Social Thought and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She was a member of the History Department from 1995-2013 before serving as inaugural chair of the Department of Africana Studies, from which she retired in 2020. Savage taught graduate and undergraduate courses in 20th century African American history, American religious and social reform movements, the relationship between media and politics, and Black women’s political and intellectual history. Savage has written three award-winning books: “Merze Tate: The Global Odyssey of a Black Woman Scholar” (Yale, 2023); “Your Spirits Walk Beside Us: The Politics of Black Religion” (Harvard, 2008); and “Broadcasting Freedom: Radio, War, and the Politics of Race, 1938-1948” (North Carolina, 1999). Savage received her doctorate in history from Yale University and holds a law degree from Georgetown University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia where she was a member of its first class of women. Savage will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. Event details, including how to view the event online, are available on Penn’s 2025 Commencement page.