When he was just a child, Porter Lee Troutman Jr.’s family was given 48 hours by the Ku Klux Klan to flee their home. His father, a longtime activist fighting for the rights of Black voters in Newellton, Louisiana, had attempted to establish a local chapter of the NAACP. It’s a childhood memory that shaped his career as an educator.
While Troutman was eager to join in the movement, his father urged him to focus on his studies. As a student, he noticed the absence of Black and minority voices in his elementary, high school, and college books. His journey through the education system revealed a common thread of oppression and injustice, woven throughout the country’s traditional telling of its history. So, he embarked on a lifelong mission to write the narrative of education according to the truth, including the contributions of multicultural and diverse people.
"The past and present emerging philosophy of the UNLV Center for Multicultural Education is that excellence in education cannot be achieved without educational equity for all who enter our schools," Troutman said.
He joined the UNLV College of Education in 1971 and was the second African American faculty member hired at UNLV. He published numerous research papers, was a Fulbright Scholar, and presented at conferences around the world, including at the Teacher Education World Assembly meetings in Chile and Amsterdam.
In 2004, he established the Center for Multicultural Education, envisioning a space where diversity was not only acknowledged but celebrated. Under his leadership, the center flourished, marking significant milestones along the way. From diversity awareness workshops to collaborative initiatives with the Clark County School District, the center became a hub for change, nurturing future educators.
Troutman retired from UNLV in 2016 and the Dr. Porter Lee Troutman Jr. Center for Multicultural Education was renamed in his honor in 2024. It continues its research, teaching, and advocacy mission under the leadership of professor Christine Clark and associate professor Norma Marrun in the College of Education. To them, Troutman's legacy serves as a reminder that true education is not merely about imparting knowledge but about empowering voices that have long been silenced.
When he found out about the renaming, Troutman said it evoked “a sense of happiness and hope, knowing that the center will continue to champion educational equity for all.”
