Marlese Durr, professor of sociology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, was honored with the Jessie Bernard Award from the American Sociological Association. The Jessie Bernard Award is given in recognition of scholarly work that has significantly expanded the horizons of sociology to fully encompass the role of women in society. It also honors those who have demonstrated significant contributions to the discipline throughout a professional career.
The association stated that Professor Durr was honored for the support she has provided junior scholars, helping them to promote their work and connecting them with powerful people within the discipline, and the work she has done to ensure that marginalized scholars could access spaces in the association and in the discipline that would further their stature in scholarship and positions in leadership.
Dr. Durr has taught at Wright State University for 28 years. Her research and publications largely focus on African American women and managerial and labor markets in the public sector. She is past president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems and Sociologists for Women in Society. Professor Durr is the co-editor of the textbook Race, Work, and Family in the Lives of African Americans (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006).
Dr. Durr holds a bachelor’s degree, master’s degrees in sociology and African American studies, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University at Albany of the State University of New York System.