Kennell A. Jackson Jr., 64; Stanford Professor Pioneered Academic Study of East Africa

Kennell A. Jackson Jr., 64, a Stanford University history professor considered a pioneer in the study of East Africa, died Monday of pulmonary fibrosis at Stanford Hospital.

“He was especially interested in the interpretation of the first generation of African nationalist leaders,” said history professor Richard Roberts, a Stanford colleague, who added that Jackson’s work in African history provided a foundation for numerous scholars who followed him.

Jackson, director of Stanford’s African and African American Studies Program for nearly a decade, was born in Farmville, Va., where he attended segregated schools. The son of a schoolteacher and a building contractor, Jackson earned his bachelor’s degree at what is now Hampton University and studied at UCLA, the University of Ghana and Cambridge University before earning his doctorate at UCLA. He joined Stanford’s faculty as an assistant professor in 1969.

Jackson’s books include “America is Me: The Most Asked and Least Understood Questions About Black American History.”