Niara Sudarkasa (August 14, 1938 – May 31, 2019) was an American scholar, educator, Africanist and anthropologist who holds thirteen honorary degrees, and is the recipient of nearly 100 civic and professional awards.

[1] In 1989 Essence magazine named her "Educator for the '90s",[2] and in 2001 she became the first African American to be installed as a Chief in the historic Ife Kingdom of the Yoruba of Nigeria.

[7] Soon after earning her Ph.D., Sudarkasa was appointed assistant professor of anthropology at New York University, the first black woman to hold that position.

During Surdarkasa's presidency at Lincoln University the school increased enrollment, strengthened its undergraduate and international programs and put into place an ambitious minority recruitment effort.

Niara Sudarkasa was the Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,[6] and sat on the board of directors for several organizations including the Academy for Educational Development.