Alem Habtu

1944 - 2016
Alem Habtu, who was born in Tigray, Ethiopia on May 15, 1944, died in Manhattan on September 4, 2016, after a heroic battle with cancer. Alem was much loved by his wife, Meseret Gebru and his two daughters, Naomi and Lena, by his large family, and by friends and colleagues in many countries. He was Professor of Sociology at Queens College, City University of New York, and taught there for 49 years.

Alem first came to the U.S. for a semester of high school as winner of a NY Herald Tribune scholarship. He returned to attend Dickinson College and later earned his PhD at the New School for Social Research. Alem wrote of himself:

"Teaching is my first and enduring vocation. As soon as I mastered the 3 Rs, I taught children in my Ethiopian village, one day's walk from the nearest town. Transplanted to New York, I continued my vocation with Queens College students. I understand and identify with CUNY students because many of them have been immigrants with limited opportunities for higher education, just as I was."

Alem Habtu was an educator and scholar, a teacher in the broadest sense. He was a Fulbright Scholar who won five awards for his distinguished teaching. He was an accomplished researcher, editor, author; he organized international conferences focusing on education and development in Ethiopia, Africa, and Latin America.

He began teaching at Queens College in the SEEK program for disadvantaged students. "I came as a social change agent and sojourner" he wrote; "the unintended consequence was a life-time academic career." He helped establish Africana Studies. He served as Chair of the Sociology Department. He was an authority on Ethiopian Federalism, and on the education of girls in Africa. He developed oral histories. He was among the pioneers who created World Civilization programs incorporating histories of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Alem Habtu came from the small village of Hareqo, the fifth of ten children in a extended family of humble means that highly valued education. As a boy, Alem taught his mother to read and write Amharic. Alem's own schooling was greatly helped by his uncle, Abebe Retta, who became a mentor and inspiration for the first generation of modern, educated Ethiopians.

Alem was a life-long activist for social justice and opponent of dictatorial regimes. He worked in the U.S. civil rights movement bringing together Africans and African-Americans, and he edited the journal "Challenge" for Ethiopian students in America. For forty years he lived in an apartment in Harlem, a block from City College, a New Yorker fully engaged in the life of the city. He was admired and loved for his generosity, integrity, humility, gentle humor, inquiring mind, dedication to public service, and passion for justice.

Memorial services, Saturday, December 10, 2016, 11am-1pm, Abyssinian Baptist Church, 132 West 138th St., NY, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the QC Fund, Alem Habtu Award, c/o Sociology Department, Queens College, Flushing NY 11367.