Background
Fontenot, Chester J. was born on February 5, 1950 in Los Angeles, California, United States. Son of Chester and Albertha Lee Fontenot.
Fontenot, Chester J. was born on February 5, 1950 in Los Angeles, California, United States. Son of Chester and Albertha Lee Fontenot.
Bachelor, Whittier College, California, 1975. Doctor of Philosophy, University of California, Irvine, 1975.
Assistant professor of English University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 1975—1977. Assistant professor of Africana studies Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1977—1979. Associate professor of English University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 1979—1999.
Benjamin Griffith professor of English and director, African American studies program Mercer University, Macon, Georgia, since 1999. Distinguished professor of African and African American culture University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon, 2002. Distinguished visiting scholar of African American film Indiana U.-East, Richmond, Virginia, 1989—1989.
Distinguished visiting scholar of black theater Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1979—1980. Distinguished visiting scholar of African American literature Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, 1978. Distinguished visiting scholar of black theater State University of New York at Binghampton, 1977.
Founding general editor book series Voices of the African Diaspora.
Board directors American Red Cross, Connersville, Indiana, 1984—1989. Chair Community Task Force on Gangs, Danville, Illinois, 1992—1994, Mayor's Community Diversity Committee, Macon. Member Community Development Corporation, Danville, Illinois, 1992—1995.
Member of Modern Language Association (founding chair divsn.black American literature and culture), College Language Association (life), Langston Hughes Society (life).
Married Olufunke Abimbola Bowen, July 2, 2002. Children: Olaseni Bello, Camara, Jasmine Christina, Chester J. III, Omatara Bowen.