Learotha Williams

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| name = Learotha Williams

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| birth_date = c. 1967

| birth_place = Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.

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| alma mater = Florida State University

| employer = Tennessee State University

| occupation = Historian

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Learotha Williams (born {{circa|1967}}) is an American historian. He is a professor of African-American and Public History at Tennessee State University.

Early life

Williams was born {{circa|1967}} in Tallahassee, Florida.{{cite web|title=June 4th Monthly Meeting: Guest Speaker – Dr. Learotha Williams Jr.|url=https://aahgsnashville.org/2016/05/25/june-4th-williams/|website=African American Genealogy & History in Nashville, Tennessee|date=25 May 2016|accessdate=April 7, 2018}}{{cite news|last1=Hale|first1=Steven|title=People Issue: Historian and Professor Learotha Williams|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/20995411/people-issue-historian-and-professor-learotha-williams|accessdate=April 7, 2018|work=Nashville Scene|date=March 8, 2018}} He graduated from Florida State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree followed by a master's degree and a PhD, completed in 2003.{{cite web|title=Learotha Williams Jr., PhD|url=http://www.tnstate.edu/history/faculty/lwilliams.aspx|website=History, Political Science, Geography & Africana Studies|publisher=Tennessee State University|accessdate=April 7, 2018}}

Career

Williams taught African-American history at Armstrong State University from 2004 to 2009. He is now a professor of African American and Public History at Tennessee State University.

Williams researches the history of African-American slaves in Nashville, Tennessee prior to the American Civil War of 1861–1865, including the slave auctions that were held on Charlotte Avenue.{{cite news|last1=Hale|first1=Steven|title=Nashville Is Starting to Face Its History of Slavery|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/features/article/20999403/nashville-is-starting-to-face-its-history-of-slavery|accessdate=April 7, 2018|work=Nashville Scene|date=April 4, 2018}} He spearheaded the installation of a historical marker on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Charlotte Avenue, which was dedicated on December 7, 2018.{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Lucas |title=TSU History Professor, Students Get Historical Marker Erected to Remember Victims of Nashville's Slave Market |url=http://tnstatenewsroom.com/archives/23113 |website=Tennessee State University News Room |date=6 December 2018 |accessdate=December 7, 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Tony |title=On A Downtown Corner, A New Marker Acknowledges Nashville's Slave-Trading Past |url=http://www.nashvillepublicradio.org/post/downtown-corner-new-marker-acknowledges-nashville-s-slave-trading-past#stream/0 |accessdate=December 11, 2018 |work=Nashville Public Radio |date=December 9, 2018}}

Williams also researches the history of North Nashville, a predominantly black neighborhood, as part of the North Nashville Heritage Project. He has interviewed residents and business owners on its main thoroughfare, Jefferson Street.{{cite news |last1=Marshall |first1=Brandon |title=Professor Conducting Interviews From Residents About Area's Heritage |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/on-the-rise/professor-conducting-interviews-from-residents-about-area-s-heritage |accessdate=December 7, 2018 |work=News Channel 5 |date=July 27, 2018}}