UW–Madison’s Kevin Lawrence Henry Jr., associate professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, has been selected for induction into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College.
The Collegium of Scholars is “comprised of academics and scholars … who are committed to research, writing, teaching, and mentoring in a wide variety of disciplines and contexts that promote and give support to the work of peace through moral cosmopolitan responsibility.”
Honorees have “demonstrated and are evolving toward great achievement in their chosen vocation, a profound commitment to their community and society, the planet and the cosmos and are living their lives according to a high standard of cosmopolitan ethical options.”
Henry says he is deeply honored by the recognition.
“This recognition means so much to me not only because it is awarded by one of our nation’s premier Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), whose legacy is one of academic excellence coupled with a deep and profound commitment to justice, to making this world better for all mankind, but also because the award is given to those who also illustrate that legacy,” he says. “To be inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegium of Scholars is a reminder of the tradition of study, of struggle, of truth-telling, and of goodness that I endeavor to embody in the work I am committed to doing in this world. And what gratitude, weight, honor and responsibility it is to stand in that legacy and lineage!”
Henry says he is deeply grateful for the support of his students, colleagues in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, and the School of Education.
Earlier this year, Henry was honored as a 2025 Emerging Scholar by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. He also recently co-authored a book, the second edition of “Organizational Theory for Equity and Diversity,” which offers a nuanced, diversity-oriented perspective on organizational theories used in educational leadership practice and research.
Broadly, Henry’s work examines the politics of education, focusing on privatization, charter schools, and the persistence of anti-Blackness in shaping educational experiences. Drawing on Critical Race Theory, Black Studies, and political science, his work also highlights how Black educational thought and practices can transform education to be more just, humanizing, and liberatory.