Prof. Janette Greenwood

Clark University Professor of History Janette Thomas Greenwood was granted an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by her alma mater Kenyon College at the college’s Honors Day Convocation in Gambier, Ohio on April 12.

“You engaged in numerous activities that placed women at the center of the College’s life during your student years, helping establish the women’s basketball program and service as captain in your senior year,” said Professor William B. Scott in presenting Greenwood with the degree. “As professor of history at Clark University, you have built your career around the study of historical communities and the argument that inclusion is necessary for a truly democratic society.”

Greenwood received an A.B. from Kenyon in 1977, earned a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1978, and was awarded her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1991. She has been at Clark since 1991 and is affiliated with the programs in Women’s Studies and Race and Ethnic Relations.

“Janette, like your Amish forebears, you have devoted your life to your community’s well-being; like your Kenyon forebears, you have worked diligently to expand the definition of American community and to demonstrate the power and value of learning and tolerance,” Scott said.

Greenwood is the author of “First Fruits of Freedom: The Migration of Former Slaves and Their Search for Equality in Worcester, Massachusetts, 1862-1900” and “Bittersweet Legacy: The Black and White ‘Better Classes’ in Charlotte, North Carolina, 1850-1910.”