Dr. Cicero Fain 111 Dr. Cicero Fain III

Meet the professor, assistant provost and author of Black Huntington: An Appalachian Story, whose mission is to promote diversity and inclusion at Marshall.

By Shelly Ridgeway

Dr. Cicero Fain has spent the greater part of the past 20 years delving into the history of Black Huntingtonians and Appalachians. Inspired by the many stories he heard from locals while growing up with his three siblings near Huntington’s Southside and Fairfield West neighborhoods, his passion for storytelling eventually led to opportunities to travel the globe and bear witness to other cultures, including parts of the African continent.

Fain began his college studies at Marshall University in 1976 as a political science and journalism major. While there, he served as a staff writer for the student newspaper, The Parthenon, and seemed destined to share stories about people who were relatively unknown, marginalized or forgotten.

By his junior year at Marshall, a young Cicero Fain left college for what he said was a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity with Pan American World Airways (aka Pan Am) to see the world through a different lens as a flight attendant and purser. It proved to be a transformative experience and served as a springboard to work for other airlines that carried him to faraway places.

“Every place we went was an adventure for me. I think I visited 35 countries while working for Pan Am, Kabo Air and USAfrica Airways,” Fain said. “No place spoke to me the way Africa did.”

Following his time with several international airline carriers, Fain returned to his studies and completed his bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1983.

He would go on to earn his master’s degree in education from George Mason University. He also enrolled at The Ohio State University, where he earned a second master’s degree in history and a Ph.D. in history, focusing on African American history, Modern African history and Native American history. In 2021, after spending the past 10 years teaching at the College of Southern Maryland, Fain was beckoned to return to his hometown of Huntington.

Talk about coming full circle in returning to one’s roots. He was selected for Marshall’s prestigious Carter G. Woodson Fellowship in 2000, which provided full financial support for his graduate studies at OSU, and later joined Marshall’s teaching faculty as an instructor and associate professor in the history department.

Today, as Marshall University’s inaugural Assistant Provost of Inclusive Excellence and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fellow, Fain is well positioned to build upon the university’s commitment to be a welcoming, diversely populated and inclusive institution. Prior to being named to this current role, Fain was serving a two-year appointment as the inaugural Visiting Diversity Scholar.

A typical day for Fain includes meeting with colleagues, both in person and via video conference calls, from across the university spectrum. They use that time to discuss, strategize and collaborate on a variety of initiatives.

In addition to tending to his classroom teaching duties, Fain has broader ideas that require him to continually seek ways to engage and partner with business leaders and community members. He is currently working to garner support to create a regional African American heritage tourism sector with Huntington as its primary hub — there is no comprehensive center in the state of West Virginia that acknowledges the wide range of contributions among its Black residents.

“The biggest challenge I see is educating both Blacks and whites on the importance of Huntington’s Black history as an exemplar of Black strivings, achievement and success beyond just celebrating Carter G. Woodson,” Fain said.

Fain’s latest book, Black Huntington: An Appalachian Story , chronicles the rich history of Huntington’s Black community from 1871 to 1929, taking readers on a journey through time to learn about the many challenges and successes that Black people faced as new and generational community members. It is important to remember that Huntington was formed six years after the end of the Civil War. Life for the Black community at that time was filled with uncertainty. Many had traveled from plantations, where they were enslaved, to begin a new way of life.

In sharing his research tactics for the book, Fain said that the historical fact-gathering required some unconventional methods, such as interviewing people and collecting oral testimonies.

“You can’t rely on traditional methods like you would with a white population, because they (white people) have always had multiple ways to validate their existence,” he said.

With this year’s Black History Month celebrations and tributes in the rearview mirror, Fain is intently focused on what lies ahead.

“Both Huntington’s and West Virginia’s Black history [are] incredibly rich and unique in the American narrative and deserve to be elevated to a place of prominence beyond activities, ceremonies and events celebrating Black History Month,” he said.

Fain said that today the study of Black history faces new obstacles.

“Numerous schools and colleges across America are being impacted by efforts to curtail or ban the types of courses being taught here at Marshall,” he noted.

Some may question the importance of learning about Huntington’s Black history or advancing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Marshall University.

“It matters because Marshall University is a public university that recognizes the importance of diversity and how it enriches the educational experience,” Fain asserted. “Students are exposed to differing ideas, perspectives, backgrounds, experiences and cultures. It provides an opportunity for enlightenment that helps prepare our students to operate within a global economy.”

Locally, Fain said he is energized by what he has witnessed in the Huntington community.

“I am gratified to see so many from all walks of life committed to working together to rebuild trust, revitalize the Fairfield West community and restore cultural pride,” he said.

Ultimately, Fain said, his goal is to help build on Marshall’s strong diversity, equity and inclusion foundation.

“I see myself as an evangelist of Black history, the celebration of diversity and the importance of human dignity,” he explained. “My life experiences, my friendships and my family composition show me every day the richness and blessings of diversity and inclusion.”