Listervelt Middleton

Born in 1952 in Pineville, South Carolina, Listervelt Middleton was inspired by his parents, Seamon and Matilda Middleton, to excel in his studies and life. He graduated from the Berkeley County public school system and he earned an undergraduate degree in political journalism. Middleton’s first broadcasting work was as news director at WOIC in Columbia. He began working with the South Carolina Educational Television Network in October 1977, and he has been at the forefront of the quest to clarify myths and distortions in the history of African people. Today, Mr. Middleton is the producer and host of ETV’s award winning program “For the People,” which has provided an intellectual forum for the understanding of African history. The program’s mission is “To properly place African people in Human History. African people have been viewed as being on the periphery. African people have provided intellectual leadership for the world in crucial periods of World History.” The eminent scholar and historian, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, refers to Listervelt Middleton as the “Record Keeper.” Mr. Middleton leaves no stone unturned. His inquiries have addressed subjects such as “The African Origin of Humanity” and “The African Origin of Civilization.” Listervelt Middleton has interviewed leading scholars from Africa and North and South American who have researched and published works on African history and culture. Among them are James Baldwin, prolific writer and author; Dr. Charles Finch, professor and chair of the Department of International Medicine at Morehouse College; Dr. Asa Hilliard, the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Urban Education at Georgia Sate University; Dr. Sterling Stuckey, professor of Political Science at the University of California-Riverside; and Dr. Frances Welsing, psychiatrist of Washington, DC. Mr. Middleton’s important interview with the Senegalese historian and nuclear physicist, Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop, was featured in June 1986 issue of the Journal of African Civilizations. Middleton’s interviews and works have reached people of all cultures and races throughout the United States, Barbados, and Africa. His writing and journalism is directly associated with his father’s strong example of positive manhood. A prolific writer and highly respected poet, Middleton is the author of three volumes of poetry: “Fatback and Caviar,” “We Be Creosote People” and “Southern Winds, African Breezes.” Several of his poems have appeared in Essence magazine. He has given readings of his poetry at the First World African Alliance in New York, the National Black Child Development Institute in Los Angeles, and the Moja Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Listervelt Middleton’s poetry reflects his rural southern background mingled with his strong African heritage as shown through the following excerpt from his poem “Old Dark Faces in America”: “down in Charleston, South Carolina old Black women with unspoiled charcoal faces sit under neon lights weaving sweet grass baskets from ancient memories handed them in their youth”.