About 200 members of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations (ASCAC) gathered Tuesday morning in Luxor, Egypt, at the tomb of Thutmose IV to commemorate the passing of one of the organization’s founders, the renowned multi-faceted scholar — Dr. Asa G. Hilliard III.

Hilliard died Sunday in Cairo, Egypt, 10 days shy of his 74^th birthday. The cause of death has not been confirmed, but one source says that he died of malaria, which he contracted in Ghana where he was enstooled as a king and another says that he was sick before he left the United States.

Whatever the cause of his death, Hilliard joined the pantheon of ancestors doing what he loved — teaching about the contributions of ancient Egypt to human civilization, in a place that he loved — the Nile Valley. He will also leave a legacy as the celebrated conductor of the modern African-centered educational movement. 

“There is no educational scholar who has impacted the way we educate young people more than Dr. Asa Hilliard,” says Molefi Asante, a professor of African-American Studies at Temple University, who just returned from Nigeria to the news. “Asa was a multidisciplinary and multitalented intellectual. He has inspired generations to see ancient Egypt as the classical civilization of the Black World. I have known him for more than 35 years and during that time he has been a lightening rod for social, educational, and political transformation.”

Hilliard, a teacher, historian, educational consultant, historian and activist, has produced numerous articles and technical papers on African-centered pedagogy, curricula, cultural styles, public policy, child growth and development and African history. He has also consulted with various school districts, universities and government agencies on those topics.    

Hilliard, the founding member of the National Black Child Development Institute, has written and co-written several books, including Sba the Reawakening of the African Mind, The Maroon Within Us: Selected Essays on African American Community Socialization and The Teachings of Ptahhotep.