Urban Sociologist Joseph 'Piko' Ewoodzie Brings Students to the Big Picture

“If we see an achievement gap, for example, like black kids aren’t scoring as high on tests, you can’t say it’s the black kids causing the problem,” he said. “That’s like saying the air conditioning just won’t work. Sociologists are lifting the hood of society to see what we don’t understand. What is happening at the very bottom of this issue?”

Ewoodzie arrived in Davidson after growing up in Ghana and making educational and career stops in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and the South Bronx. He set his sights on Davidson before a job was even available because he wanted to teach at a small liberal arts institution, in the South, near a city and near a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).