Alumnae
Spelman to Honor Shirley Barber James, C’68, at Founders Day
James Recognized for Lifelong Leadership in Education, Journalism, Civic Engagement and Community Service
When Spelman College celebrates its 145th Founders Day on April 11, the College will award an honorary degree to alumna Shirley Barber James, C’68, recognizing her career in higher education, newspaper publishing, the arts, voter engagement and community leadership. An honorary degree is one of the College’s highest honors, recognizing individuals for exceptional achievement or distinction in a field aligned with Spelman’s mission.
"Shirley Barber James is being recognized for her dedicated civic leadership in education, public service, and journalism with a commitment to advancing education and community impact," said Linda Hart Patton, C’88, the director of Alumnae Operations in the Office of Alumnae Engagement.
James graduated from Spelman with a degree in psychology in 1968 and earned a master’s degree in 1970 from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She began her career in 1971 at Savannah State University, where she worked for more than 30 years in roles including counselor, director of testing and vice president of student affairs. During her tenure, she helped develop a Peer Counselors program to support students navigating college life. The impact she values most in her career centers on the students she mentored.
“I’m most proud of the impact that I’ve had on college students,” said James. “Working with students for more than 30 years at Savannah State University and seeing their career paths develop, sometimes even following the path that I took, has been so meaningful.”
After retirement from Savannah State University in 2002, James was appointed the director/coordinator of the Savannah Black Heritage Festival where, during her 20-year tenure (2002-22), she transformed a free weekend city event into a month-long program offering performances, lectures and visual arts exhibitions by nationally acclaimed performing and visual artists, and increasing attendance from 7,000 to a peak of 30,000.
In 1973, she began her long-term commitment to uplifting the Savannah community and has continuously served on various task forces and boards. She was appointed to the Savannah Airport Commission for the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport in 2005, and is currently serving as vice chair. James is a member of several professional and socio-civic organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and The Links, Inc., where she has held leadership positions on the local, regional and national levels. She served as the 15th national president of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. (1994-96), and chairman of the Commissioners Committee for the Airports Council International-North America (2013-2016).
In 1983, James became the fifth and second female owner and publisher of The Savannah Tribune (Est. 1875), a weekly newspaper focused on African American issues. She is currently the Region 2 president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and the 2025 Newspaper Publisher of the Year. Because of her passion and unwavering commitment to voter education and engagement, she founded two non-partisan organizations - Women Must Vote (2012) and the Voter Empowerment Coalition of Savannah (2016). She is the liaison/coordinator for the St. Philip AME Church and Black Voters Matter Fund partnership (2018-present).
Through her collaboration with other non-partisan organizations, voter education workshops, voter registration drives and voter engagement messaging through The Savannah Tribune, her efforts over the years have assisted in reaching over 10,000 citizens annually, and contributed to an increase in voter registration in Chatham County, Georgia by at least 40% compared to 17% in Georgia and 14% nationwide from 2012 to 2024. Throughout her career, James has received numerous awards, recognitions and citations that reflect her professional excellence, commitment to service and community impact. She is listed in The HistoryMakers® oral history archives at the Library of Congress and was one of Ebony Magazine’s “100 Most Influential Black Americans and Organization Leaders” (1995 and 1996).
Each Founders Day, Spelman College awards an honorary degree to an individual selected from nominations submitted to the Honorary Degree Committee. Honorees are recognized for a lifetime of achievement and contributions to their profession, community, and the world. For James, a Georgetown, South Carolina, native, returning to Spelman as an honorary degree recipient is both unexpected and deeply meaningful.
“Returning to Spelman as an honorary degree recipient is beyond any expectation that I ever had in life. It’s the highest honor,” James said. “I’m humbled and just so appreciative that Spelman recognized me among so many other Spelmanites who have made such wonderful contributions; not only to the United States of America, but throughout the world. For me to be among that group of women is the highest honor.”
The lessons she learned at Spelman shaped not only her leadership style, but her sense of responsibility to serve others. “Spelman actually helped me develop the values of servant leadership as I look back on the experiences I had there,” James said. “Spelman helped me to be an assertive person, quietly assertive, but to have the kind of self-confidence where I can walk into any room among any group of people from any walk of life, and I can sit at any table. Spelman taught me how to let my voice be heard, and to let it resound in a way that what I had to say or offer would benefit others.”
James reflected on the lasting sisterhood she found at Spelman. “One of the main values and experiences that I’ve had that followed me throughout my life is our Spelman sisterhood. The sisterhood that we value, that we embraced while we were at Spelman, and the lifelong friendships and support that I’ve had from sisters that I’ve met, not only with classmates but with Spelmanites wherever I go,” James said.
Based in Savannah, Georgia, James and her husband of 57 years, Robert Earl James, have three adult children and six grandchildren.