Chief Old Person (1929 - 2021)
|
Dr. Ulysses S. Doss was a professor and civil rights activist. Throughout the 1960s, Dr. Doss led civil rights movements across Chicago, founding the Christian Action Ministry to fight against discrimination and acting as the president of the Garfield Organization. He worked alongside activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Julian Bond, John Lewis, and Jesse Jackson.
In 1968, he founded the third African-American Studies program in the country at UM. He worked alongside Thamani Akbar, Dee Daniels, Herb White and Mace Gray, Black students who also formed the first Black Student Union at the University of Montana. Doss, upon his acceptance of a position, was not given an official role. UM President Robert Pantzer was unsure what role to assign him. After several undesirable suggestions, Doss posted “Director of Black Studies” on his door and went on to direct the department for 25 years. In 1990 he was named the Most Inspirational Teacher, a title voted on by UM students. The Ulysses S. Doss scholarship fund, created for students of African American Studies, is awarded yearly. Dr. Doss passed away in 2021. For more information please visit the UM African American Studies Department, the Black Student Union, and the Missoulian and University of Montana Scholarworks: Black Student Union. |