We are very sad to share news of the passing of Clarence Walker, distinguished professor emeritus of history at UC Davis. Walker was a world-class historian and public intellectual who was also passionate about teaching.

Walker was a pioneering scholar in African American history whose work was foundational to the field. With very rigorous scholarship, he challenged prominent ideas about race and Black history in the U.S. His books include Deromanticizing Black History as well as We Can't Go Home Again: An Argument About Afrocentrism, which was selected as an International Book of the Year by The Times Literary Supplement. Walker earned his B.A. and M.A. from San Francisco State University and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.

As a teacher, Walker encouraged his students to be critical of their assumptions about the world. In 2015, he was recognized for his excellence in teaching with the UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement. That year he retired from UC Davis. Walker has said that it had always been his dream to teach at the University of California.

Our hearts go out to Professor Walker’s family, his friends and his colleagues. 

Read more about Clarence Walker and his legacy at the Department of History.