معرفی
Preston H. Smith II is the Class of 1926 Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College, affiliated with the Department of Politics. He also serves as Director of the Community-Based Learning (CBL) program at the Weissman Center for Leadership and the Liberal Arts, integrating academic study with community engagement.
Education:
- Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
- B.A., Howard University
His research focuses on urban studies and postwar Black politics, emphasizing housing policy, class dynamics, and community revitalization. Key areas include economic development, affordable housing, racial stratification, and municipal service equity in inner-city neighborhoods. His work critically examines intersections of race, class, and urban policy.
Smith's publications analyze historical and contemporary urban policies, segregation mechanisms, and Black political agency. His scholarship consistently engages with themes of urban renewal, racial inequality, and community resistance, reflecting interdisciplinary approaches across political science, history, and sociology.
Leadership and Engagement: Smith co-chairs the Free Public Higher Education campaign under the Debs-Jones-Douglass Institute, advocating for federally funded tuition modeled after the GI Bill®. As a member of the Labor Party's Interim National Council, he promotes labor-oriented policies. He developed faculty seminars on Puerto Rican culture in Holyoke, fostering university-community partnerships.
