Theodore J. Davis, Jr., (Ph. D. Florida State University) is a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware.  He has a joint appointment with the Department of Africana Studies. His areas of academic interests are urban politics, politics of racial inequality, and African Studies. He regularly teaches courses associated with public policy, urban politics, and the politics of the Black experience.  In the past, he has taught public administration courses, and a course related to African governance and development.   Dr. Davis’ current research interest includes: 1) Black politics in post-civil rights America, 2) urban politics and community development, 3) the politics of racial inequality (with special emphasis on educational disparities), and 4) African studies (with a focus on governance and poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa).  He is the author of the book Black Politics Today: The Era of Socioeconomic Transition (Routledge 2012).  Dr. Davis is currently working on a book project tentatively titled The Politics and Perils of Blacks’ Educational Outcomes: The Pace of Progress since the 1990s.  Dr. Davis is the author of numerous research articles, blogs, commentaries, reports, and working papers.  Davis is also the principal investigator and organizer of the Delaware Black Community Research Project (DBCRP). He has also engaged in a variety of service activities that have contributed to the service missions of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, the Department of Africana Studies, the University of Delaware community, and the broader community.