Rate My Professor Jarvis Young

Jarvis Young serves as Assistant Professor of African American Literature in the Department of English at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, a position he has held since 2023. He is jointly appointed in the African and African American Studies program. Young earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, along with an M.A. and B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His scholarly work centers on early African American literature, exploring how enslaved individuals mastered literary traditions despite limited formal education. Young's research delves into the rhetoric of Black radicalism, tracing resistance to oppression from the early republic era through radical speech acts in essays, narratives, performances, and sermons by figures such as Toussaint Louverture, Quobna Ottobah Cugoano, David Walker, Maria Stewart, and modern voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Alicia Garza. He is currently advancing a book project focused on the life and writings of late 18th-century abolitionist and preacher Lemuel Haynes.

In recognition of his contributions, Young was awarded the 2025-26 Kate B. and Hall J. Peterson Fellowship by the American Antiquarian Society, providing a $2,000 stipend for a one- to two-month residency to conduct archival research supporting future publications, including a draft of his book's first chapter and a potential article. This opportunity builds on his inquiries into Haynes' essays and sermons. In the classroom, Young teaches courses like The Rhetoric of Black Radicalism in the Honors College Retro Readings Seminars, fostering safe spaces for students to engage with underrepresented histories and encouraging mutual learning. He draws from personal influences, having learned about Black historical figures like David Walker, Prince Hall, Maria Stewart, and Martin Luther King Jr. from family and mentors rather than formal schooling. Young participates in public lectures and events, including Black History Month programs cohosted at the University of Arkansas, screenings honoring figures like Dr. Colbert, and discussions on Langston Hughes' poetry, promoting diverse representation and cultural understanding in higher education.