Kwesi Sipho Umoja, EE’67, says that Dr. Martin Luther King’s death had a profound effect on his perception of tomorrow. Umoja, one of only 19 African-Americans on the S&T campus when he was in school, would go on to start the first black-owned and operated national radio network, National Black Network, in 1971.
“While I was in the streets I made the decision that I was going to leave my job as an electrical engineer at Colgate-Palmolive and go to work ‘finding solutions,’” says Umoja, who was known as Eugene Jackson as a student. Umoja would also go on to serve as a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Broadcasters and founder of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters. In 1994, he helped launch the World African Network Cable System, which distributed news by satellite to 125 African American-focused stations in the United States.
Share This Story
Spark a Memory?
Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).
Supporting female faculty at S&T
When she established the Woman of the Year award at Missouri S&T, Cindy Tang, a 1985 economics graduate, wanted to…
Memories from “Mr. Miner,” Jerry Bayless
After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1959, Jerry Bayless began teaching in the department...
Pam (Thebeau) and Dennis Leitterman
Although both Pam (Thebeau) and Dennis Leitterman started as freshmen in fall 1971, they didn’t meet until August 1975. “I…
They appraised the Titanic
After watching a documentary in which survivors of the April 1912 R.M.S. Titanic sinking recalled hearing a loud cracking noise…
Creating fashion for feet
When Darla Ellis, a 2006 graduate in chemical engineering, began a summer internship with Nike, Inc. during her senior year…
Mary (Hilton) and Mike McEvilly
Mary (Hilton) and Mike McEvilly met in August 1978 at a Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity party. As students, the two…