In 1981, Hilliard introduced the concept of "Baseline Essays" (short stories "of the experience of a particular geo-cultural group within a particular academic area from earliest times to the present" [1]) to the Portland, Oregon school district.
[3][usurped] Selected memberships: Alliance of Black School Educators, San Francisco Chapter founder; American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, board; American Psychological Association, fellow, board of ethnic and minority affairs; Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations, founding member, vice president; National Black Child Development Institute, founding board member.
Hilliard was married to Patsy Jo Hilliard, the first African American and the first female mayor of the City of East Point, Georgia, with whom he had four children (Asa IV, Robi, Patricia and Hakim) and eight grandchildren (Maia, Terry, T'Shaka, Foluke, Xavier, Dayo, Shaidah and Asa Pearl).
His father, Asa Grant Hilliard II, was also a high school principal, who spent most of his teaching career in Tyler, Texas.
Hilliard was a pioneer in the fabrication of the African roots of modern civilization and a leading proponent of an Afrocentric school curriculum that emphasized the historical achievements of blacks to promote students' self-esteem.
Hilliard authored more than a thousand publications on subjects including educational policy, teaching strategies, testing, child growth and development, and African history and culture.
Asa G. Hilliard, III Biography,” College of Education, Georgia State University, https://web.archive.org/web/20100701013752/http://education.gsu.edu/main/1641.html (accessed November 15, 2007).
“Tribute to Dr. Asa Grant Hilliard III (1933-2007), " Black Britain, http://www.blackbritain.co.uk/feature/details/120/USA/[permanent dead link] (accessed November 15, 2007).