Jason Miller

Jason Miller is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at North Carolina State University, affiliated with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. He specializes in African American Studies, public humanities, and digital archiving. His work bridges academia and public media through podcasts, documentaries, and articles featured on networks like ABC, NBC, and NPR. Notable research includes MLK’s rhetoric influenced by Langston Hughes, Nina Simone’s connections with Hughes, and the historical intersection of MLK’s 1966 speech in Raleigh with a KKK protest.

Education: B.A. and M.A. from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Ph.D. from Washington State University. Awards include the Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor title (2022) and induction into NC State’s Research Leadership Academy (2022). He has secured $350k in grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Teagle Foundation, and served as inaugural Scholar-in-Residence at the African American Cultural Center (2019-20).

Research focuses on Civil Rights history, digital humanities, and cultural preservation. Major projects include King’s First Dream (first online recording of MLK’s 1963 Rocky Mount speech) and the Don Welch Digital Archive (5,000+ pages of poet Don Welch’s works). His work often combines historical artifacts with modern media to engage broader audiences.

Awards span teaching (Academy of Outstanding Teachers, 2017), research, and outreach, reflecting his commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship. He has been an Honorary Citizen of Rocky Mount (2017) and presented at venues like the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.