LeMoyne-Owen College was a launching pad for Rev. Dr. Earle J. Fisher’s journey from joining the college as a student majoring in computer science to discovering a connection and passion for ministry. Now, Rev. Dr. Fisher serves as Professor of Religious Communication and Africana Studies and was recently appointed as the college’s Dean of Chapel.
Rev. Dr. Fisher brings impact to the college’s revival of religious studies in the Division of Fine Arts and Humanities and engages students in uncovering the rhetorical connection between hip hop, culture, and religion. In the fall semester, he will teach a new hip hop theology course exploring how people who were raised in hip hop culture describe their understanding of God and religious ideologies.
“This course gives a framework to engage in religious studies outside of the primary relationship to students’ faith tradition. From an academic standpoint, religion isn’t about conversion, but the engagement with religious ideologies that gives a deeper understanding,” Rev. Dr. Fisher said. “We will look at what it is about hip hop that is revealed.”
Rev. Dr. Fisher, a native of Benton Harbor, Michigan, came to LeMoyne-Owen College in 1999 on a basketball scholarship and later chose to pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer science, inspired by the growing advancements in technology.
One year after graduating from the college in 2003, Rev. Dr. Fisher transitioned into ministry after realizing his calling while working in computer science, and began studying at Memphis Theological Seminary in 2004.
“My first job out of LeMoyne-Owen College was working as a computer technician at the Hilton corporate office–but my call was wrestling in my head, and I didn’t feel like I was fulfilling my purpose,” he said. “After that, I started working at Airways Middle School as a computer technician, and I enrolled in seminary, and that evolution was happening simultaneously. I found that the structure I trained myself to do with programming and computer science is aligned with preparing sermons and a syllabus.”
After graduating from seminary in 2008, he returned to his alma mater and began teaching as an adjunct professor in religious studies until 2010, when the program temporarily concluded. He later taught at Strayer University from 2011-2014 and pursued a PhD in Communication from the University of Memphis. He completed his dissertation in rhetoric and the work of Rev. Albert Cleage, a pioneer of Black theology who spearheaded the Black Christian National Movement in the 1960s.
As LeMoyne-Owen College’s Religion program returned last year under the vision of President Dr. Christopher B. Davis, Rev. Dr. Fisher rejoined as a faculty member and has provided support in the revival of the program. The Division of Fine Arts and Humanities launched a new major in Religion, offering an Academic Study of Religion concentration and a Ministry concentration with courses on preaching, pastoral care, pastoral leadership, administration, and worship.
As the Dean of Chapel, Rev. Dr. Fisher leads Chapel Soul Sessions, a chapel service featuring performances from local musicians, open to the college and the community on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at Metropolitan Baptist Church.
The Division of Fine Arts and Humanities is also kicking off a yearlong celebration of events recognizing one of the college’s most renowned alumni and educators, Juanita Williamson, PhD, a national linguist who spearheaded discussions in Black speech and language, served as a faculty member, and as a former chair of the division.
Dr. Peter Gathje, the current division chair, Dr. Seth Davis, assistant professor of English and Communications, Dr. Fisher, and the faculty are working toward honoring distinguished alumni and their legacy.
In addition, Rev. Dr. Fisher creates a space for students to discover what it means to be a student at the fifth-oldest HBCU in the country.
“I teach religion courses, communications, and freshman seminar courses. In any of these, students can expect to encounter materials and discussions on what it means to be a student at an HBCU in 2025, the history of HBCUs, and carrying the legacy of LeMoyne-Owen College,” he said. “I always try to teach students that when they come here, they are inheriting a legacy that is much larger than they are.”
