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Renford R. Reese (born July 24, 1967) is a professor in the political science department at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Reese is an author of 4 books: American Bravado (2007), Prison Race (2006), Leadership in the LAPD: Walking the Tightrope (2005), and American Paradox: Young Black Men (2004). He is also the founder of the Colorful Flags program at the California State Polytechnic University and a well known lecturer from prisons and schools nationally and internationally. .

Early Life

Reese was born in McDonough, Georgia. He is the son of Earnest Reese and Artelia Reese. His father was one of the first African American journalists for the Atlanta Journal Constitution and his mother was the principal at Henry County High School. Dr. Reese grew up in the early 1970's in a town that was partially segregated by railroad tracks. Because of the segregation, the area he grew up in was known on the map as Blacksville. Reese attended Henry County High school where he lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track and field.

Career

Reese graduated in 1989 from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelors of Arts degree in political science. In 1990, he went on to receive his Master's degree in public policy from the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies. Later in 1996, he received his Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Southern California's School of Public Administration; writing his dissertation on intergroup relations and ethnic conflict at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2009, he received the Fulbright Scholar award in which he lectured on American Studies for 5 months at the Univeristy of Hong Kong. Recipients of this award are primarily chosen based on their academic or professional achievement and if they have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in their fields.. Recently, he was featured on ESPN in a series, called “Realizing The Dream.” which aired from February to March. This series included accounts from 13 people whose work benefits black Americans in which he was recognized for his work with The Colorful Flags Progam.

College Superstar, NFL Prospect

On May 4, 2010, an article entitled "Making an Impact in the Field of Life" written by David Hudson describes Reese's athletic career as a college football player at Vanderbilt University and his appearance in the 1990 NFL Combine. In 1985, Reese began his career as a redshirt freshman under Coach George McIntyre. He played four years under the wing of Watson Brown playing four positions middle linebacker, outside linebacker, corner, and safety. In the article, Reese is quoted saying "...at 193 pounds I became the smallest middle linebacker in the SEC... and later I went from the smallest middle linebacker to the biggest cornerback in the league." He is also noted in the article for playing against future NFL superstars Emmitt Smith from the University of Florida, Carl Pickens from the University of Tennessee and Rodney Hampton from the University of Georgia. When his senior year arrived, Reese had become what some may call "a shutdown defensive back" and his achievements playing for the Commodores attracted the attention of some pro scouts. Later, he played in the Blue-Gray all-star game and attended the NFL combine in 1990. However during the NFL Draft, Reese was not selcected.

Colorful Flags Program

In 1993, as a second year doctoral student, he created the Colorful Flags program. Reese's dissatisfaction with race relations and the death of Latasha Harlins in South Central Los Angeles inspired him to create this multicultural human relations program.. This program is designed to break down "ethnic mistrust" by educating individuals with certain cultural facts and five basic human relation statements in the five most spoken languages focused in a school or organizational community(excluding English)."This program has serviced over 130,000 K-12 students in 17 school districts in Southern California and has also serviced police departments, social service agencies, and various other organizations"..