Today we’d like to introduce you to William T. Hoston.
Hi Dr. Hoston, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My Motto:
I just want to be an example. Many have come before me, and hopefully, those that come after will be inspired by the example that I have set.
I have made mistakes, and I have failed. But I stand as a testament of hard work and dedication. I had to be an overachiever so that all non-believers would understand my struggle, feel my pain, and know that I would do it all again to rightfully deserve my place in his-story.
Bio:
I am an award-winning scholar and author who hails from New Orleans, Louisiana, and a tenured full professor of political science at Prairie View A&M University. I completed my doctorate at the University of New Orleans, master’s at Florida State University, and bachelor’s at the University of New Orleans.
Background:
I first began teaching at the collegiate level as a teaching assistant at Florida State University. This introduction into higher education propelled me into a career in academia. Since then, I have worked at some of the major research universities in the country, teaching in multiple disciplines in social sciences that include political science, criminology and criminal justice, sociology, African-American history, and psychology. I have over twenty-five years of university teaching.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
American prolific author Joseph Campbell wrote, “Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” When I first heard this quote, I believed that it described my family life perfectly. I was born into a dysfunctional family. For much of my life, I thought it was normal. There was no father present in my life. He had five children with four different women. My mother had an estranged relationship with her own mother. As a result, she also alienated us from the rest of the family, including my uncles, aunts, and cousins. The emotional pain of her self-imposed alienation contributed to my mother drinking alcohol excessively. These circumstances have weighed on me all my life. But, instead of adding up my problems, I learned to count my blessings. A wise saying is that “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only option.” I was only strong because of my faith in a higher power.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My life’s work traverses multiple genres, including editorials, essays, fiction, and poetry. I am the author or editor of 20-plus books, most recently: The Fight for Black Liberation (1st Edition; 2022); The Crucial Conversation: Educating Through an Anti-Racist Lens (2022); Contemporary Debates in Social Justice (2021); Power to the People: The Time is Now, Vol. III (2020); and New Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity: Critical Readings about the Black Experience in Trump’s America (2nd Edition; 2019). My academic book, Toxic Silence, won the 2019 Lambda Literary Award in the ‘LGBTQ Studies’ category.
I am currently working on four academic books: (1) The Fight for Black Liberation (Monograph, 2nd Edition); (2) Prairie View A & M University and the Quest for Justice (w/Dr. Will Guzman, Eds); (3) ‘The Hill’ We Climbed (w/Dr. Will Guzman, Eds); and (4) Black Profiles in Greatness (w/Dr. Will Guzman, Eds).
What Drives Me:
I am most proud of following my dreams. In the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” Will Smith’s character Christopher Gardner tells his son, “You got a dream. You gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves; they wanna tell you, you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period.” This quote embodies the idea that parents need to instill in their children the belief that they can achieve anything. My grandmothers, mother, and Godmother were influential in this process. They fed me with words of affirmation and helped to build my self-confidence. These women kept me motivated. They knew that if I stayed highly motivated, I would be more likely to achieve academic and career success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.williamhoston.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-william-t-hoston-sr-9249ba6/
- Twitter: @DrHoston
- Other: Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/William-T.-Hoston/author/B004H6W8Y4
