21 Mar Alexander Gee, community catalyst and transformative educator, to receive UW honorary degree
Reverend Dr. Alexander Gee Jr., an innovative community servant and transformational educator who is nationally recognized for his advocacy on behalf of the Black community, will receive an honorary degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison will award an honorary doctorate degree this May to Reverend Dr. Alexander Gee Jr., an innovative community servant and transformational educator who is nationally recognized for his advocacy on behalf of the Black community and for his leadership in addressing the root causes of racial disparities.
A UW–Madison alumnus, Gee launched the Justified Anger Coalition in 2013, a solutions-oriented movement that mobilized the Madison community to address long-standing racial inequalities. The coalition has educated thousands of people about African American history through one of its hallmark initiatives, a series of highly successful community classes called “Black History for a New Day,” taught in tandem with UW–Madison professors.
Gee also is the founder of the Madison-based Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development and senior pastor of Madison’s multiracial, non-denominational Fountain of Life Covenant Church.
The culmination of Gee’s 35 years of work is the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, which is expected to break ground this summer on Madison’s south side. Led, designed and inspired by over 700 Black people, the center is intended as a cultural home for Wisconsin’s Black community while bringing together people from all backgrounds to celebrate and experience Black history and culture.