David Childs

DR. DAVID CHILDS, MA, MAT, D.D., Ph.D. ’00,
Professor, Filmmaker, Author, CEO, Minister
Northern Kentucky University, Historic Antioch Baptist Church (Est. 1882).
Mount St. Joseph University, Class of 2026 Alumni Commencement Speaker.

Dr. David Childs is Director of Black Studies, and Associate Professor of Social Studies Education and History at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). Dr. Childs was the first African American in the College of Education to earn tenure at NKU. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Mount Saint Joseph University. He earned two Masters’ degrees from Miami University of Ohio. Dr. Childs also earned his Ph.D. at Miami and received his Doctorate of Divinity (Honorary) in theological studies from Temple Bible College and Seminary in Cincinnati.

He is the site lead for National Geographic’s 2892 Miles to go project. In addition he is Vice President of the Sweet Blackberry Foundation, an organization founded by Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor Karyn Parsons. Dr. Childs is senior pastor of First Antioch Baptist Church. Their 501c3 First Antioch Ministries, focuses on food insecurity, addiction, homelessness and arts education. He is founder and CEO of Cultural Diversity Consultants and Studios.

Dr. Childs is an international scholar and has done work in Washington, DC, San Francisco, California, Mexico City, Vancouver, Canada, Oxfordshire, England, Liberia, Africa, South Africa and Paris, France. In 2026 Dr. Childs was named a Research Fellow in the United Kingdom at the Queens Foundation for Theological Education.

He is a prolific writer and author, having published over 200 articles in academic journals, books, blogs, and encyclopedias. Dr. Childs wrote a historical fiction novel entitled Escaping from Home: A Novel about Slavery and Freedom in 2021 and has written extensively for NPR/ WVXU’s Democracy and Me project. Dr. Childs appears regularly on television and radio news shows and podcasts across the nation. He was executive producer of a documentary entitled “Underground: Freedom Stories Along the Borderlands” that aired on PBS in fall of 2025. The work is a collaboration with George Clooney and his father Nick Clooney. His most recent animated film screened in 2026. The film project is a partnership with National Geographic, Black Monarch Entertainment and Cultural Diversity Studios. He has also worked with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Smithsonian Institute.

Dr. Childs is an award winning scholar having received multiple NAACP Awards, a research and scholarship award from NKU, an educational and community award from the Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky and was a part of an Emmy award nominated news story with Local 12 News. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his wife Alundra Childs, Ed.D. Candidate (A Spanish educator and classical pianist) and their children Symone, David, Hannah, Gabriella and Madison.