Learotha Williams, Jr., PhD

Learotha Williams, Jr., PhD. is a scholar of African American, Civil War and Reconstruction, and Public History at Tennessee State University. At TSU, he teaches courses that explore Civil War and Reconstruction history, African Americans in Public Memory, Black Politicians, Civil Rights, 20th Century Black Intellectuals, African Americans in Tennessee, and Slavery and Emancipation in Middle Tennessee. Dr. Williams has worked as a Historic Sites Specialist for the State of Florida, acted as coordinator of the African American Studies Program at Armstrong Atlantic State University, and served as a trustee of the Historic Savannah Foundation in Savannah, Georgia.

At TSU, he coordinates the North Nashville Heritage Project, an effort that seeks to encourage a greater understanding of the history of North Nashville, including but not limited to Jefferson Street and its historic relationship to the greater Nashville community. He serves on the Metro Historic Zoning Commission in Nashville, on the board of the Friends of Fort Negley, a UNESCO site of Memory, in Nashville, TN, and is the Director of Public History for Nashville Sites. He also serves on the board of the Jefferson Street Sound Museum and on the Advisory Committee of the Two Rivers Plantation in Nashville TN. He is the co-chair of the annual Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture and owner, lead researcher, and consultant for Past Perfect, LLC, a Nashville-based historical research and consulting firm.

In January 2026, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell appoint him as the Davidson County Historian, making him the first African American to hold the post.

His most recent publications include a co-authored work with Serina K. Gilbert, From the Fiery Furnace to the Promise Land: Stories of a Tennessee Reconstruction Community (Vanderbilt University Press, 2025), a co-edited work with Amie Thurber, I’ll Take You There: Exploring Nashville’s Social Justice Sites. (Vanderbilt University Press. 2021), “Hewing Stones of Hope in A City of Discarded Rocks: William Edmondson's Nashville” in Marin R. Sullivan’s The Sculpture of William Edmondson Tombstones, Garden Ornaments, and Stonework (Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2021), “Black Faces Along the Cumberland Basin” in Guider, John, Voyage of the Adventure Retracing the Donelson Party’s Journey to the Founding of Nashville. (Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. 2020) and “A Balm in Gilead: Love, Hope, and Despair in North Nashville.” in Murals of North Nashville Now. (Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. 2019).

Dr. Williams is a native of Tallahassee, Florida, where he earned his doctorate in history from Florida State University in 2003.

Recording link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/DhqdLz-oUfSGbbCm1m4jloRIrRJy21gKETWxLr4-gyGtklQHayMr25CVBOdKpad0.LtxzxhIMmzTj5WkE

Passcode: 9d1*Qci!