Ford, James H.
James H. Ford is a visiting professor at Texas Southern University.
Bio James H. Ford Jr.
Presently, James H. Ford Jr. is a visiting professor at Texas Southern University. James was department chair of the Commercial Art Department of Houston Community College from 1979 to 1985. He returned to Houston Community College after having worked for Allstate Insurance Company as an independent insurance agent for twenty-eight years. James additionally is a writer/storyteller who blends both pathos and humor into his personal history and family stories. James equally loves to tell his originally written tall tales to live audiences. “Johnson and the Red Bandana” was published by August House in the 1995 book The Best Stories from the Texas Storytelling Festival. In 1989, James was the Co-Winner of the first Annual Houston Storytellers Guild Liars Contest. James won the contest outright in 1990, 1991, and 1992.
James has been a member of the Houston Storytellers Guild since 1988. He was President of that Guild from September 1992 until January 1995. James was a board member of the Tejas Storytelling Association and served as its President. James additionally served on the board of the National Storytelling Association. He is a board member of the Fidelity Manor High School Alumni Association. He was president of the Houston Chapter of the Tennessee State University National Alumni Association from 1993 until 1995. He was also Regional Chair of the Southern Region of the Tennessee State University National Alumni Association from 1995-2002. He was president of the Tennessee State University National Alumni Association from 2002-2006.
His storytelling experience includes but is not limited to, being a featured teller at the Texas Tale Telling Festival at Armond Bayou in Houston. He has told stories at the Tejas Storytelling Festival in Denton, Texas, the National Storytelling Conference in San Antonio, Texas in 1992 and was a Regional teller in the Exchange Place at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee in 1992. James appeared in Texas Ghost Stories shown on Fox TV regionally in 1990 and on Son of Texas Ghost Stories on Fox in 1991. James was a featured teller at both the 64th and the 66th Annual Spring Arts Festival at Fisk University in 1993 and 1995. James was featured during the 1996 Cultural Affairs Forum at Tennessee State University. He was a featured teller at the first Almost Bugaboo Springs Storytelling Festival in August of 1993, in Denton, Texas and has been the first teller to be re-featured at that festival in 1996. James was a featured teller at the George West Storyfest in both November of 1992, 1993 and was re-featured in 1997, and 2013. In 1994, James told at the National Conference in Fort Worth, Texas and was a featured teller at the first Patchwork of Storytelling Festival in Houston, Texas on Oct. 1994. James was a featured teller at the Texas Folklife Festival from 1993 until 1997. In 1997, he was a featured teller at the Haunting in the Hills Festival in the Big South Fork National Parks Festival. In 1998, James was a featured teller at the First Annual Squatty Pines Storytelling Celebration and was featured at the Texas Storytelling Festival in March of 1998. In 2000, he won the coveted John Henry Faulk award for his contributions to the preservation of storytelling. James was one of the featured storytellers at the Tejas Storytelling Festival in March of 2015. James has been published in the Anthology of American Poetry by Royal Publishing Company in 1964; The Rainbow Color Computer Magazine in 1983; A collection of writings in African-American News and Issues, Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Houston Defender Newspaper; Pomona Valley Review in 2013; The Atrium Magazine in 2014, and other technical writing for Texas Historical Markers—Fidelity Schools, Peacock Records, Barbara Jordan, Dr. John T. Biggers, Murals of Hanna Hall and Booker T. Washington High School. His essay, “Rational Blindness,” was published in the Griot, a scholarly journal, in the fall of 2016. James published The Peddler’s Son, a biography of Dr. Thomas Franklin Freeman in 2018 and a memoir titled Cookie in 2019. Tennessee State University honored him as a Grand Marshall at their homecoming celebration and parade in 2015.
James, a native Houstonian, graduated from Fidelity Manor High School in 1965 and received a BS Degree in Psychology at Tennessee State University in 1969. He received an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Commercial Art from Houston Community College in 1978. He received a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology in 2013 and a master’s degree in English in 2015. Both Masters were from Texas Southern University. James received his Doctor of Education in Special Education Leadership at Houston Baptist University in 2025. James has been married to his wife Doris for more than 56 years and they are parents of three children. James served in the United States Air Force for five years and resigned his commission with the final rank of Captain.
2022 1-4955-1018-2Bio James H. Ford Jr.
Presently, James H. Ford Jr. is a visiting professor at Texas Southern University. James was department chair of the Commercial Art Department of Houston Community College from 1979 to 1985. He returned to Houston Community College after having worked for Allstate Insurance Company as an independent insurance agent for twenty-eight years. James additionally is a writer/storyteller who blends both pathos and humor into his personal history and family stories. James equally loves to tell his originally written tall tales to live audiences. “Johnson and the Red Bandana” was published by August House in the 1995 book The Best Stories from the Texas Storytelling Festival. In 1989, James was the Co-Winner of the first Annual Houston Storytellers Guild Liars Contest. James won the contest outright in 1990, 1991, and 1992.
James has been a member of the Houston Storytellers Guild since 1988. He was President of that Guild from September 1992 until January 1995. James was a board member of the Tejas Storytelling Association and served as its President. James additionally served on the board of the National Storytelling Association. He is a board member of the Fidelity Manor High School Alumni Association. He was president of the Houston Chapter of the Tennessee State University National Alumni Association from 1993 until 1995. He was also Regional Chair of the Southern Region of the Tennessee State University National Alumni Association from 1995-2002. He was president of the Tennessee State University National Alumni Association from 2002-2006.
His storytelling experience includes but is not limited to, being a featured teller at the Texas Tale Telling Festival at Armond Bayou in Houston. He has told stories at the Tejas Storytelling Festival in Denton, Texas, the National Storytelling Conference in San Antonio, Texas in 1992 and was a Regional teller in the Exchange Place at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee in 1992. James appeared in Texas Ghost Stories shown on Fox TV regionally in 1990 and on Son of Texas Ghost Stories on Fox in 1991. James was a featured teller at both the 64th and the 66th Annual Spring Arts Festival at Fisk University in 1993 and 1995. James was featured during the 1996 Cultural Affairs Forum at Tennessee State University. He was a featured teller at the first Almost Bugaboo Springs Storytelling Festival in August of 1993, in Denton, Texas and has been the first teller to be re-featured at that festival in 1996. James was a featured teller at the George West Storyfest in both November of 1992, 1993 and was re-featured in 1997, and 2013. In 1994, James told at the National Conference in Fort Worth, Texas and was a featured teller at the first Patchwork of Storytelling Festival in Houston, Texas on Oct. 1994. James was a featured teller at the Texas Folklife Festival from 1993 until 1997. In 1997, he was a featured teller at the Haunting in the Hills Festival in the Big South Fork National Parks Festival. In 1998, James was a featured teller at the First Annual Squatty Pines Storytelling Celebration and was featured at the Texas Storytelling Festival in March of 1998. In 2000, he won the coveted John Henry Faulk award for his contributions to the preservation of storytelling. James was one of the featured storytellers at the Tejas Storytelling Festival in March of 2015. James has been published in the Anthology of American Poetry by Royal Publishing Company in 1964; The Rainbow Color Computer Magazine in 1983; A collection of writings in African-American News and Issues, Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Houston Defender Newspaper; Pomona Valley Review in 2013; The Atrium Magazine in 2014, and other technical writing for Texas Historical Markers—Fidelity Schools, Peacock Records, Barbara Jordan, Dr. John T. Biggers, Murals of Hanna Hall and Booker T. Washington High School. His essay, “Rational Blindness,” was published in the Griot, a scholarly journal, in the fall of 2016. James published The Peddler’s Son, a biography of Dr. Thomas Franklin Freeman in 2018 and a memoir titled Cookie in 2019. Tennessee State University honored him as a Grand Marshall at their homecoming celebration and parade in 2015.
James, a native Houstonian, graduated from Fidelity Manor High School in 1965 and received a BS Degree in Psychology at Tennessee State University in 1969. He received an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Commercial Art from Houston Community College in 1978. He received a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology in 2013 and a master’s degree in English in 2015. Both Masters were from Texas Southern University. James received his Doctor of Education in Special Education Leadership at Houston Baptist University in 2025. James has been married to his wife Doris for more than 56 years and they are parents of three children. James served in the United States Air Force for five years and resigned his commission with the final rank of Captain.
"Below is the theory of Rational Blindness (RB) and its connection to men and women of African descent. Rational Blindness is seductively inductive reasoning that those of African descent find themselves using to navigate their worlds, worlds controlled by racism and oppression. Rational Blindness is a phenomenon that can disrupt the development of self-efficacy for many men and women within these societies. Rational Blindness, for African Americans, is acquired primarily through oppression and racism. ...[Those] who are browbeaten must slip the blindfold over their eyes and accept their position as rational. Every decision after that is made using the blind rationale. Rational Blindness is one way that ideology affects one's ability to judge clearly. What one believes establishes what one can see and think." -James H. Ford
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