Henry Washington, Jr, assistant professor in the African American studies department at the University of California, Berkeley, has launched a three-year program focused on advancing academic scholarship in contemporary Black studies.
Launched at the start of this academic year, the Black Critical Theory Initiative aims to bring a greater attention to modern issues in Black studies through examining why formal declarations of freedom and inclusion have not seemed to adequately resolve the persistent challenges facing the Black community. With a focus on a unique theme each year, the initiative will feature public speaking engagements from leading junior scholars in Black studies, as well as workshops for graduate students.
For its first year, the new initiative’s theme is “Blackness and Relation” which will explore topics such as Black suffering and the problem of relationality, Black mourning and mourning Blackness, Black interiority, and Black nihilism and negativity. Earlier this month, Tyrone S. Palmer of Wesleyan University presented a public lecture on Blackness and the politics of defacement. Axelle Karerra, a scholar of the philosophy of race and an assistant professor at Emory University, will give a lecture during the spring 2026 semester.
More information on the Black Critical Theory Initiative can be found here.
This is a fantastic and much-needed lecture series! I wish something like this had been available when I was a graduate student working in the African American Studies Department. The topics being addressed—such as mourning and trauma—are so relevant to the recurring challenges that Black students face at Berkeley and throughout academia. I am confident that these lectures will help students feel better prepared and supported in their academic journeys.