Florida A&M University, a historically Black educational institution in Tallahassee, has recently received $550,000 in donations to establish a new Center for African and African American Studies. Two philanthropic organizations, the Henry Luce Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, each donated $275,000 to help kick off the center’s operations.
The center aims to advance African and African American studies as a discipline and to foster interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty, students, and the local community. The donations from the Luce and MacArthur foundations will be used to support faculty and student fellowships, student research, curriculum and course development, and community cultural programming.
Darius Young, professor of history in the FAMU College of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities, will serve as the center’s inaugural director.
“Through the support of our partners at the Luce and MacArthur foundations, we are providing opportunities for faculty and students to actively explore our origins, tell our stories, artistically express our truth, and collectively think critically about our future,” said Dr. Young.
The Center for African and African American Studies will begin operations during the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year with plans to identify a physical space on campus.
