Hey, hey, hey. This is Lisa A. And you're listening to Who's That Star? On LCC Connect at Lansing Community College. Who's that Star is a behind the scenes show where I sit down and talk with the employees at the college. This is an inside look at LCC where you will have a chance to learn about their passions, projects, what inspires them both at work and in their personal lives. I'm your host, Lisa Alexander. I'm so excited to get a chance to talk to all the people who make LCC great. This show is for you to get to know the people that work at Lansing Community College a little bit more and see what makes them tick. Are you ready? Okay, let's go see who's today's star. I'm so excited about today's guest. He's someone I've known for a long time and he's been an important part of my community. This star is a professor here at Lansing Community College and Davenport University. He's earned a PhD in international and Comparative Education from Michigan State University and has taught for 50 years, 14 in the K12 system and 40 years as an adjunct professor. He has spent 40 years in public health as a consultant in areas of health education, statistics, chronic disease control, community organizing, quality control for Medicaid screening and minority health. He has been published in several journals and books and has traveled extensively to Africa and the Caribbean as well as to Australia, Europe, South America and Asia, gathering material for the African World Museum and Resource Center of which he is a curator and director. This star has also served as a board member of an African-centered school named Malcolm X. Now you have to help me with this real quick. How do you say the full name? It's El Hadja.

El Hajj, Malik El Shabazz.

Thank you. For 25 years and in the naming of a street from Malcolm X and Lansing, he has coordinated tours to Tanzania, Jamaica, and helped develop Sister and Friendship City relationships in Ghana and Tanzania. Respectfully, he retains an active membership in many African and African American organizations and others, including the Lansing Juneteenth Scholarship and Education Committee, and enjoys the distinction. Are you guys ready to meet today's star? Get our drum roll, please. Today's star is Dr. Willie Davis. Let's give him applause. Doctor Davis, I'm so glad to have you on the show today. I'm just excited that you're here and.

I'm glad to be here. So, hey, let's roll.

Let's roll. So I've known Dr. Davis for a long time. He's Been a really important part, I would say, to the African American community here. He's just had a lot of projects, programs, different things to teach people and get them engaged. And so that's why I'm really excited to have you here. And my first question is, he, can you tell me a little bit about who you are and what is important to you in your life right now?

I believe I'm an adventurer and also you might call a scholar activist. Now, I like to see things move, especially trying to get black people the resources that they need to move ahead. And also to other folks as well, too, especially if you help folks who need it the most. It also helps bring what's at the bottom up. So trying to make things a little bit more balanced.

And you have done that in our community. You say you've been teaching 50 years. That's a long time. And you still going. But I want to ask you about the all around the African World Museum and Resource Center. Tell me about that. Why you start that?

Well, I've been lucky. I've traveled to all the continents, and so I put a lot of picture albums together. But I said, nobody ever looks at picture albums, so maybe I could take some of the pictures and put them on the walls, you know, blow them up and add some of the artifacts and things that I've gathered and put them all together. And I actually started the museum at El Hajj Malik El Shabazz Academy. And then when we changed administrators, they brought in some of their own artwork for the school. So I said, well, let me just take it over, you know, into the neighborhood that I live in. That's how I got it started.

So people can tour it?

Yes, yes.

They look you up online.

Yeah, online as well. As we're listed in the booklet that the Chamber of Commerce comes out with, with all of the museums and other things that are in the community.

Okay.

So we listen. So we're online as well.

I think that's cool that you wanted something and you started it. You seen a need and you wanted to do it.

You do it, you know, do it yourselfer.

That's right.

If it need to be done, it.

Needs to get done. You got. You have to depend on yourself sometime to get it done. Well, tell me about what your work is at LCC and why you're so passionate about it. You keep coming.

Well, I love to teach. Teaching is not only my vocation, it's my advocation. I think I was just meant to be a teacher, so I just thought I'd Just teach as long as I can never stop. And so I had a chance to teach at the college level and I kind of like the community college because you get to meet people within the community as well as students, because you got a lot of students who are older, you know, different ethnicities, you know, different levels of participation, you know, working as well, raising families, so you get to really feel like a part of the community. Where I think sometimes the university kind of is a little more aloof, you know, away from the community.

What subjects do you teach?

I teach education courses. I teach sociology courses, mostly Sociology courses now.

Yeah, I know. I have a lot of students that's taking your intro to sociology and they enjoy the class and they like it and they feel that they've gotten something from your, from your course. Does your job make you feel happy and fulfilled? Why or why not?

It does. It's good to do what you love. Actually get compensated for what you love to do too. That's, that's great as well too. And you get a chance to impact people. And I just think of, you know, I've encountered thousands of students in my life, so I hope to have had some type of impact to kind of give them something that they could use.

Oh yeah, I'm sure you have. What made you decide to become a teacher?

Actually, I would have to say my ex wife got me into teaching. She was kind of looking for at that time, since I was going to school, something that would get me a job. I think that that had a lot to do with it. And then when I kind of got into it, I found out I really.

Enjoyed it and the impact that you could make on so many people. That's cool. What energizes you about your career?

People. I just love people and I love to be around people. I love to influence people and be influenced by people. And it's a learning process. I think I learned as much as I teach. So I'm always in a constant state of, of learning and teaching.

Okay, well, let me ask you, what's one work related thing you want to accomplish in the next year?

Work related? Teach African American studies again.

Oh, okay.

Introduction. African American studies, especially since it's a controversial topic as well now too.

Oh, it is, isn't it? Yeah.

And so, so I've taught it, but we've always had trouble with students taking it because it really, you know, it was more an elective course and so getting people to take it. But I thought maybe now, you know, get a lot of play.

Yeah. And be relevant So I think that.

That's what I would do, work related and just keep on teaching, you know, keep impacting people. Yeah, and like I said, it's rewarding, you know, to myself to give and be given to.

Right. No, I agree. I think that you do a lot for our community and I feel like teaching the students, if that's something you're passionate about, it shows and it keeps you going, evidently. Cause you've been teaching for 50 years.

And then there's also another aspect of teaching that's formal education in school class education. But I like the non formal education too, out of school education, like working on projects. And in fact, I also was a professional public health consultant too, in health education as well too. So I taught health education as well.

That's what I was looking at. In the intro you talked about a lot of the things that you've done as far as focusing on public health. How did you get into that? Well, is that part of the sociology aspect?

Well, no, what happened was I was working on my doctorate degree and I was working on it in vocational education, you know, rather than call it academic course, but you know, vocal heads, you know, in terms of farming and other things like that and other aspects of a vocational head. And so I got a job working for the health department as really as a statistician. So I've done a lot of different things. So I got a job as a statistician and I was working at the health department. And so I was international compared to education and they had a big library there and I said, well, wow, health is a vocation. Since I'm working at the health department, why don't I go into vocad? Okay, so. Or healthy. And I'm sorry, going to healthy. So that's what kind of got me into health education. And I worked at the health department. When I got my degree a couple years later, I just moved into other areas in the health department and I was still working part time at LCC.

Wow.

Yeah, So I did that as a full time job as a public health consultant. I actually retired as a public health consultant.

Oh, okay. And then you've taught here part time?

Yep, I've been teaching here part time for 42 years.

Wow, you worked a lot of jobs?

Oh yeah. Oh yeah, a lot of jobs, A lot of it.

Plus your outside interest.

Even uber, sometimes not. I don't even much anymore. But yeah, I've done a lot of different things.

Hey, you just keep busy.

Don't gotta keep going, Gotta keep going.

Well, on that note, do you volunteer at all?

Oh, yeah, I'm in a number of organizations. You know, like with Juneteenth and here I'm with the. I'm chairing the Global Awareness Committee. I work with sister cities. I've worked with a number of organizations. National Black Political Front, asc, act, association for the Study of Classical Africa, All Healers, Mental Health Alliance. So I'm in a number of organizations.

How do you had the time to do all this?

Just do it.

You just don't think about it. You just do it.

Just try to. Just try to disperse my time. Until this last year when I started working full time again. I had a lot of time to kind of do a lot of organizational type things. And actually that's what my doctorate degree was in terms of health education, was working with community groups. So I continue to do it.

Yeah, I mean that's just. I'm learning. I'm learning so much about you that I didn't know. I just knew. I seen you, I knew you were part of education. And I just remember, you know, growing up, you were always giving out knowledge. So I knew we was gonna be around you, we was gonna learn something.

Thank you.

And so that was an important thing, I think that you know, and you still doing that 50 some odd years later. So, okay, you volunteer. You work 100 million jobs. Do you have a hobby?

Well, I still play basketball a little bit. And I roller skate.

Oh, really?

I roller skate weekly.

You do?

Generally twice a week. I try to play basketball twice a week too.

Okay.

Generally by myself. I don't really play competitive anymore.

Yeah. At least you out there still trying to move around and shoot up and do all that kind of stuff. So what is some of the best advice that you have learned in your life so far?

It's better to give than to receive. And do unto others as you would have them do unto you. What goes around, comes around.

Yeah. You say essentially it, you say those are really true. Huh?

That's it. And try to balance your life off with things that'll keep you going, keep you interested. Try to give as much as you can.

Yeah.

Because you get it back.

Yeah.

Whatever you give out, you get back.

It seems like that's what you've done your whole life, like been a giver. You want to give to the community, give to the students. But how did you get so engaged, like with going to all these different countries, like being a part of the Sisters?

Well, I was in international comparative education. That was my degree was in.

Yeah.

So you know, that gave Me the opportunity to travel, you know, worldwide.

So did you seek out or did they ask you, like, to be a part of that Sister Cities Commission?

Well, I'm trying to figure out how I became part of it. I remember Commissioner John Jackson had mentioned it to me, so I went in and I got on it. So that was back in the 90s.

Okay.

And so we were able to start some sister cities. One in Ghana and another sister city, a friendship city, in Tanzania and Dar es Salaam and the sister city in Ghana, the Aquafim South District. So I got a chance to help get those organized.

So you travel down there and make relations?

I travel to Ghana and Tanzania every year.

Oh, you do still. Oh, wow. So you got friends and people that you've made over these last 40, 50 years?

Yeah.

Wow, that's so cool. It sounds like you just have such a wide range of experiences.

I've been lucky. I've been blessed.

Now, you mentioned that you teach here part time, but you said you also teach at Davenport, too.

I did up until the pandemic.

Okay.

And so after the pandemic, I haven't taught them.

Okay. Were you teaching sociology there, too?

I taught sociology there, too.

Now, do you teach other than Intro to Sociology? I know you do the Intro to Education, but do you teach any, like, higher level sociology?

Yeah, I've taught. It used to be called Minority Groups, and now it's called Race and Ethnicity. And I've taught International affairs, Intro to African American Studies, sociology course.

Okay.

At Devonport, I taught diversity courses. Those are all sociology courses. And at Davenport, I taught African American history as well, too. So, yeah, I've taught a lot of different classes as well, too.

Yeah. So, I mean, that's all the things that I'm interested.

Swahili, too.

Oh, I didn't know that.

Children, you know, I'm not really that far fluent in it, but I do teach, especially at. I do guest speaking, and I work with community programs that teach Swahili as well, too.

Does that program also include the dancers?

Yes, one over at Christ Temple. I think I teach Swahili there every summer.

Because you brought a group, I want to say, right before the pandemic for Black History Month, and we had the dance symposium. Okay. Yeah. That was so nice. And it's interesting just how the babies were learning and they were taking and, you know, it was just good to see. So I feel like you've done a lot. And I'm gonna ask you this last question. What's the career highlight? You're most Proud of. Like what's some your special contribution or something that you feel that you know you will be remembered by or something that just you remember really. Like this was it my highlight.

I'd say the museum because illustrates what I've done, you know, internationally, you know. Yeah. I think that would probably be the high point of the achievement to museum because it encompasses all of Africa and the diaspora, people all over the world. That's what the museum is. There's a room for each continent. The African presence in Africa, the African presence in Europe, the African presence in Asia, African presence in north and South America, and the African presence in. I say Australia. And Australia.

Wow. See, I'm learning something.

So it encompasses all the whole world. That's why it's all around the African world.

Right.

Wherever people of African descent are. It illustrates that.

Okay.

South Antarctica. I don't know. I'm about to see what happens. I bet we might find some history of black people in Antarctica.

I'm sure.

Hey, at least going to visit or something. I know a friend of mine who went because I've been to the six continents. He's been to all of them. He actually went to Antarctica. I've never been there.

Oh, yeah. I don't know that I would.

I don't think I. I'm not sure I'm gonna go. There's no people there, really. Except people studying.

Yeah. Well, Dr. Davis, I just am so thankful and grateful that you took time to come on who's that start today. And I appreciate all the things that you do done for the Lansing community, the black Lansing community, especially because you've been a face there and you've always been supportive and you've always been there to teach. And so I definitely wanted to say thank you for that.

Listen, and thank you too. Thank you too for inviting me and thank you for being part of my life. And also the grocery store too. Yes, on the east side.

That's right, on the east side.

Named after you.

Yep.

That's how I met you.

Yep, that's how we met. I was a little kid and my dad had bought a store on shepherd in Perkins and it was called Lisa's Groceries. That's where I first got to know and he was still helping the community. Then he was over at the wash park doing things and helping students just learn. And so again, thank you. And I thank you for other people.

Thank you.

So, you guys, I'm glad that you got a chance to listen and find out about Dr. Davis. I want you to come back so that you can find out about who's our Next Star? You've been listening to Who's That Star? I'm Lisa A. and you can to Listen to this episode of Who's That Star and other shows from LCC Connect anytime online at LCCconnect.org. Thank you for listening. Catch me next time to find out Who's That Star.