Professor Ronald Takaki

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Professor Ronald Takaki

Professor Ronald Takaki, described as a “minority Everyman...a rare hybrid, a multicultural scholar” by the Los Angeles Times, is one of the most preeminent scholars of our nation’s diversity. He is a professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught for over 30 years. His foundational work in Ethnic Studies curriculum and the multi-cultural graduation requirement has served as a conceptual model for developing similar programs in colleges across the country. Professor Takaki is the author of 11 books, including Lane Community College’s 2004-05 Reading Together book, A Larger Memory: a History of Our Diversity, With Voices. His books have been selected for national recognition, including as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and the American Book Award.

Born in 1939, Takaki, the grandson of immigrant Japanese Hawaiian plantation workers, has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors. He has advised former President Clinton and Vice President Gore on race and ethnic matters and lectured internationally.