KU professor a 'black pioneer' in research

A new book, Black Pioneers in Communication Research, recognizes KU Professor Dorthy L. Pennington, g'70, PhD'74, as one of 11 black scholars nationwide.  

The book honors Pennington, associate professor in the departments of communication studies and African and African-American studies, as an important contributor to her fields through her exploration and analysis of intercultural and interracial communication of black women.

"Going back to the publication of her book (co-authored with former KU faculty member Jon Blubaugh, g'63, g'66) in 1976, she has been a major figure in the field," said Robert "Robin" C. Rowland, c'77, PhD'83, professor and chair of communication studies. "We are enormously proud of Dorthy's many accomplishments."

A forerunner in the study of interracial communication, Pennington has published Crossing Difference ... Interracial Communication (1976), African-American Women Quitting the Workplace (1999), and Interracial Communication: Case Studies and Critical Incidents (2003-04). She will complete a fourth book, Case Studies in Interracial Communication, this spring.

Born in rural Mississippi, Pennington attended segregated schools and experienced the tensions of the birth of the civil rights movement in her home state.  She came to KU as a master's degree student in the speech communication and human relations program. Pennington was one of the few students of color in her classes, and she became one of the first African-American students to earn a graduate degree in communication studies at KU.

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