BIO

Derrick Lanois, PhD is an Assistant Professor of African American History and Studies at Norfolk State University. Prior to this appointment, Derrick taught at Rust College, Lane College, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Memphis, Georgia State University, Clark Atlanta University, and Spelman College. He is also the owner of Southern Griot, LLC where he produces podcasts, documentary films, and other multimedia projects blending scholarship, activism, storytelling, and artistic creativity.

Derrick is native Memphian who grew up in North Memphis and raised by a single mother. He attended The University of Memphis receiving his Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in African and African American Studies. He was initiated intoPrince Hall Affiliated Freemason during his college career. The combination increased his curiosity and appetite for learning about Africana people, especially about the influence Africana fraternalism had on the Africana experience. During his undergraduate career, African American-centered courses rarely discussed any contributions and or even creation of Africana fraternalism. Although his courses leaned heavily in African American History and Studies, fraternalism was not every discussed and this piqued his curiosity to learn the who, what, when, where, how, and why of Africana fraternalism.

In the tradition of liberal arts, he created his own curriculum by combining African American Studies, History, and Culture under the Liberal Studies program to tailor his education for his curiosities. He earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at The University of Memphis and his thesis project analyzed Prince Hall Affiliated Freemasonry in Tennessee from 1870-1920. He went to Georgia State University where he met two influential scholars and mentors who shaped his scholarship—Dr. Jacqueline Rouse in History and Dr. Layli Maparyan in Women’s and Gender Studies. Dr. Rouse’s research centers on African American women, the Long Civil Rights Movement, and African American organizational life and Dr. Phillips’s work centers on Womanism, culture (Hip Hop), and gender. In addition, Derrick had the opportunity to work closely with Akinyele Umoja in African American Studies exploring African American resistance in the South, Shirlene Holmes in Film and Theater examining African American cultural and gender studies, Michele Reid-Vazquez in History investigating transnational African Americans and Afro Latin American Studies, and Ian Fletcher in History on transnational African Americans and the African Diaspora in the British Empire. He received a PhD in History and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies.

Continuing his interdisciplinary exploration of African American history + culture, Derrick received a second Masters in Multimedia Journalism adding multimedia storytelling and African Americans in media (newspapers, magazines, radio, television, film, and new & social media). Derrick returned back to academia as a Master of Fine Arts student majoring in Documentary Expressions at The Center for the Study of Southern Culture at The University of Mississippi. He completed his coursework and focused on documentary filmmaking, audio storytelling, the Hip Hop South, the Black Southern Aesthetic, and the Black South (oral history, folklore, hoodoo, food).

In October 2014, Derrick was in a life altering car accident causing him to have to take time away from his career and focus on recovery. He returned to his career in academia in 2018 as an assistant professor and as a MFA student.