Jeff Guillory

by Brody Gasper

Jeff Guillory’s story at both the University of Idaho and Washington State University, and in the cities of Moscow and Pullman, has been one of hard work deserving of much recognition. Guillory has spent the majority of his life pushing for greater diversity and inclusion in the environments he has come to call home, helping to create a supportive community that looks to better not only Black community but also that of other minoritized groups.

As aforementioned, Guillory’s childhood was one of segregation, growing up in Houston, Texas where bathrooms were split between White and Black persons.¹ During his formative years, Guillory had several milestones like the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965, both of which promoted greater rights for African Americans in the US. The segregation Guillory grew up with daily in Houston would serve as a glaring disparity when he would eventually travel to the University of Idaho in 1965. Guillory reported that this experience made a substantial impression on him, eventually leading to his desire to better understand how bigotry spread throughout the US. This desire would stick with him throughout his college years at the University of Idaho, where he would also play football as a running back and would “rub shoulders” with several of the Black student-athletes at the time who were pushing for more inclusivity at the University.² Jeff Guillory would continue his education at the University, graduating in 1970 with his bachelor’s degree in political science.

Interestingly enough, Guillory would have a similar experience to that of Ray McDonald, being drafted into the NFL out of college. He would not play much, only a few preseason games, until he tore his knee a second time and decided that it was for the best if he left.³ During his college years, Guillory would meet his future wife Connie, a member of the New Perce tribe, who was a junior at U of I when she met Jeff. Today, she is heavily involved with the Nez Perce tribe and served as a director of a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Professionally, Guillory would accumulate around 20 years of experience in the human resources field, 15 years as a consultant for several different major organizations, and 15 years as a diversity education professional. A major chunk of his career was spent at WSU, serving as the Diversity Education Director from 1994 to 2019 (the year he retired).⁴ During this time, Guillory held and participated in many talks looking at diversity on campuses and promoting inclusivity, at both U of I and WSU. For his work, Washington State University recognized him by awarding him the Martin Luther King Jr. in 1988 for excellence in the advancement of diversity through innovative and effective programs for faculty staff, students, and the WSU community.⁵

Jeff Guillory’s story deserves to be recognized, as his work has been monumental in helping to shape the communities of Moscow and Pullman into ones of inclusivity for Black people. His work at WSU has been significant and crucial through his providing of space for other minority groups to grow and develop on campus. Guillory’s early years of life were the key groundwork for what he would set out to accomplish in his later years, that work being the understanding of hate and how to promote a culture of love over it. Through his deeds, Guillory helped set up the foundation of WSU’s diversity education program that now services over 7,000 minoritized students (as of 2022). Jeff Guillory’s work at Washington State University deserves recognition and serves as an inspiration for others.

Bibliography

• “1967 Idaho Vandals Football Team.” American Football Database. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/1967_Idaho_Vandals_football_team.

• “Alumni Class Notes - I Want to Shake Your Hand.” Here We Have Idaho, 2011, 28–29.

• Grummert, Dale. “One Father’s Lifelong Quest for Common Ground.” Moscow - Pullman Daily News, June 22, 2020.

• “Jeff Guillory - Diversity Education Director - WSU Culture .” LinkedIn. Accessed April 2, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-guillory-0b453b12.

• “Jeff Guillory, Director of Diversity Education at WSU, Speaks at U of I, Wednesday, Jan. 18.” NWCHR, January 17, 2012. https://nwchr.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/jeff-guillory-director-of-diversity-education-at-wsu-speaks-at-u-of-i-wednesday-jan-18/.

• “Speakers.” Speakers at the Cultural Literacy and Equity Symposium. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://www.uidaho.edu/diversity/cultural-literacy-symposium/speakers.

Notes