In Memoriam: Francis Njubi Nesbitt

With a deep sense of sadness and loss, we write to report on the death of one of our own, Francis Njubi Nesbitt, Associate Professor of Africana Studies, who passed away suddenly on May 31 at the age of 56.

A native Kenyan, Professor Nesbitt received a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Nairobi in Kenya, an M.A. in international peace studies from University of Notre Dame, and a Ph.D. in African American studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Before joining us in the College of Arts and Letters in 2000, he worked as a reporter and editor for the Daily Nation in Nairobi, as well as a reporter for papers in Seattle and Springfield, Massachusetts. His first book, Race for Sanctions: African Americans against Apartheid, 1946–1994, was published by Indiana University Press in 2004. This study was described by the late American anthropologist and United States Ambassador Elliott P. Skinner as “an important contribution to the political history of this period [and] a must for those interested in the influence of the great pan-Africanists.” In 2012, he published Politics of African Diasporas with Lambert Academic Publishing. In addition to these monographs, he wrote articles and book chapters published in a number of journals and scholarly volumes.

For Africana studies, Professor Nesbitt taught courses such as Intermediate Expository Writing and Research Fundamentals, Black Political Participation in America, Political Economy of the African Diaspora, and Modern Civil Rights Movement.

As a scholar, Professor Nesbitt was passionate about the subject of civil rights and the struggle against apartheid. One of his goals was to hold a symposium titled “Coming to Terms with Apartheid: Resistance, Legacy” at San Diego State University. He also had plans to establish a center for the study of civil rights within the College of Arts and Letters. He was an enthusiastic blogger and public intellectual, and his public-facing work appeared in a number of fora.

Professor Nesbitt is survived by his wife of seven years, Teresa Nesbitt. She remembers him with great love as “a good, kind man” and “a gentle soul.” She requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to any society or organization dedicated to eradicating disease. Professor Nesbitt’s ashes will be scattered at sea; there is no memorial service planned.