Literature has always been prevalent in every aspect of Dr. Dorothy Tsuruta’s life.
At a young age, she would submit poems inspired by scriptures and stories from her grandmother to the youth magazine Wee Wisdom.
Tsuruta’s English teacher in high school, who also taught poet Gwendolyn Brooks and playwright Lorraine Hansberry, further ignited her passion for literature.
That fire translated into a career that “took off” in 1997 after Tsuruta returned to one of her alma maters, San Francisco State University (SFSU), to teach.
She became an associate professor of African American literature, received tenure and eventually earned a full professorship.
Describing herself as an “activist professor,” her teaching style focuses on student-centered pedagogy.
“I enjoy working with the students of all backgrounds,” says Tsuruta, a professor in the Africana studies department at SFSU. “Africana studies gives me a chance to focus on the kind of literature throughout the African diaspora that enhances students’ pride of being Black.”
