Professor, African-American Studies
“Coming to San Jose State College was one of the best decisions I ever made.”
Millner’s mother named him Steven “in part to honor abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens,” he reveals. “I’ve spent a good part of my life trying to live up to that life start.” When Millner came from Los Angeles to San Jose State in 1968, it was “really a white campus: 150 Black students, fewer than 50 Chicanos and virtually no Asian-Americans,” he recalls. The Vietnam War was also raging. Regardless, Millner was “determined to stay in college and graduate.” After earning a doctorate from UC Berkeley and teaching in Mississippi, he joined SJSU’s faculty. “My wife and I wanted the best education and atmosphere for our own children, and California remains America’s promised land.”
Department: African-American Studies
Faculty website: Steven Millner
College: College of Social Sciences
Photo: Thomas Sanders, ’15 MFA Photography
