Timeline and Bio
Dr. Keith E. Baird was born in Barbados on January 20, 1923. Baird was raised and lived in Barbados until he came to United States in 1947 at the age of 24. Once he reached the U.S., Baird enrolled at Columbia University where he studied Spanish. Baird continued his education at Columbia with completed graduate coursework in Romance Philology and Linguistics. Baird finished his education at Union Graduate Institute in Cincinnati Ohio, earning a doctorate in sociolinguistics.
After receving his Doctorate, Baird spent the next five decades as educator, chairman, director, and professor of black studies both in grade school education and various higher learning institutions.
The Majority of Baird’s work centered on the view that language can and should be used as a political tool used for people of color and that language should also be a tool for liberation and self-development. Baird was one of the first advocates for the use of “Afro American” as opposed to Negro, Colored and other harmful descriptors used to label people from the Black Diaspora. Baird reasoning for the use of Afro-American was that he believed that using a term that instilled cultural heritage instead of racial trauma would improve the self esteem of people of color within the Black Diaspora.
Baird retired from education in the late 90s. In addition to his background in Black Studies and education, Baird was also fluent and or conversant in 14 languages including Greek, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Swahili, Afro-French Creole, Portuguese, etc.
Baird died on July 13. 2017 in Atlanta Georgia. He was 94. Baird is survived by his wife Mary A. Twining, and daughters Marcia Baird Burris and Diana N’Diaye Baird.
