Friends, mentees remember gospel scholar Deborah Smith Pollard

April 23, 2026

Deborah Smith Pollard, a 74-year-old gospel music scholar and professor, passed away on April 12th after building a distinguished career studying and promoting African American sacred music traditions. She served as a founding member and director of the University of Michigan-Dearborn's African and African American Studies program, where she taught from 1995 until her retirement in 2023. Beyond academia, Pollard hosted a popular gospel radio show on Detroit's Mix 92.

Who is affected

Deborah Smith Pollard's students, mentees, colleagues, and friends
The University of Michigan-Dearborn community, particularly the African and African American Studies program
Listeners of Sunday Morning Inspiration on Detroit's Mix 92.3 radio station
Black academics and scholars in higher education whom Pollard mentored
Specific individuals mentioned: Melba Joyce Boyd (Michigan's poet laureate), Terri Laws (colleague), Veronica Johnson (music writer and former student), DeLean Tolbert Smith (former student and faculty member), and Maureen Linker (colleague)
The Detroit community and Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church congregation

What action is being taken

No actions are explicitly described as currently ongoing in the article. The tribute radio show mentioned already aired "a week after her death," which is in the past.

Why it matters

Pollard's work matters because she preserved and elevated gospel music scholarship within academia, giving this important African American cultural tradition scholarly legitimacy and a platform. Her significance extends beyond her scholarship: as part of only 7% of Black college faculty nationwide in 2022, she actively mentored younger Black scholars and advocated for their success in predominantly white academic spaces. She demonstrated how to maintain authenticity and faith while navigating institutional politics, serving as a crucial role model for underrepresented academics. Her dual presence as both a rigorous scholar and accessible radio personality made gospel music and Black cultural traditions accessible to diverse audiences, bridging academic and community spaces.

What's next

Pollard's homegoing celebration is scheduled for noon on Saturday, April 25, with a musical tribute beginning at 11 a.m. at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church at 2080 W. Grand Boulevard in Detroit.

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com