Study Examines Changing Viewpoints of Black Nationalism Over the Past Forty Years
Historically, supporters of Black nationalism were more likely to be men, younger in age, and from a lower income or educational background. The new study found none of these factors predicted Black nationalism, and the belief system is now found among a wider audience of Black Americans.
In Memoriam: Nathan Hare, 1933-2024
Dr. Hare was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement throughout the 1960s and was a strong advocate for equal educational opportunities for Black Americans. In 1968, he founded the country's first Black studies program at San Francisco State University.
Saida Grundy Wins Race, Gender, and Class Book Award From the American Sociology Association
Dr. Grundy's book, Respectable: Politics and Paradox in Making the Morehouse Man, explores the culture and experiences of graduates from Morehouse College in Atlanta, the country's only historically Black college for men.
Jack A. Kirkland Donates Collection of Papers to Washington University in St. Louis
Kirkland has served as an associate professor in the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University for over 50 years. His collection of papers includes materials from the early days of the university's Black studies program.
Tina Post Wins National Book Circle Award for Book on Black American Identity and...
Dr. Post has been on the faculty at the University of Chicago for the past six years, teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in the university's department of English language and literature.
California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College
Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.
Center for Politics and Race in America at Rutgers University Newark Renamed for the...
“Lt. Gov. Oliver’s legacy will continue to inspire our center as we expand access to public service as a profession and promote research and public policy that confronts systemic inequalities," said James Jones, co-director of the Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race in America at Rutgers University Newark.
Johns Hopkins University Launches New Major and Center for Critical Study of Racism, Immigration,...
The new Chloe Center for the Critical Study of Racism, Immigration, and Colonialism will provide research opportunities and educational events for the Johns Hopkins University community. As part of the new program, the university has announced a new undergraduate major in critical diaspora studies.
Chicago Library Receives $2 Million to Digitize Collection of African American History and Literature
The Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection housed within the Chicago Public Library will soon be available online to the public thanks to a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.
Kean University Establishes New Center for Africana Studies
“This new center epitomizes the university’s commitment to equity and to serving our state, particularly our urban communities,” said Kean University president Lamont Repollet.
Black Film Project and Film Studies Fellowships Established at Harvard University
Henry Louis Gates Jr., professor and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, will direct the newly established Black Film Project, an initiative aiming to support independent films focusing on Black history and culture.
Yale Library Acquires Digital Collection of Langston Hughes Papers
In a recent December upload, the Yale University Library added a collection of papers from Black poet Langston Hughes to the school's online archive. The collection contains correspondence between Hughes and other authors and civil rights activists of his time.
Global Black Writers in Translation Series Is Launched by Vanderbilt University Press
Global Black Writers in Translation, a new trade series launched by Vanderbilt University Press, will publish works by African-descended authors translated into English in an effort to expand public knowledge of Black literature.
The Slavery North Initiative Gets a Boost in Funding from the Mellon Foundation
The University of Massachusetts Amherst received its largest ever Mellon Foundation grant to support the Slavery North Initiative. The program is led by founding director Charmaine Nelson, provost professor of art history.
Alicia Fontnette Appointed Executive Director of the National Council for Black Studies
The National Council for Black Studies has selected Alicia Fontnette as the organization's executive director. Dr. Fontnette is an assistant professor in the department of African studies at the University of Delaware, which will serve as the council's new headquarters.
Vanderbilt University Acquires the Dom Flemons Collection
The collection includes research materials on Black cowboys, musical instruments, an Edison phonograph with several playable wax cylinders, historical sheet music, art pieces, memorabilia, personal gifts, autographed records, and materials documenting Flemons’ 20-year professional music career.
University Press of Kentucky Launches New Imprint to Discover Creative Black Writers
Screen Door Press is dedicated to discovering unique, exceptional, and varied voices within Black literary traditions. The goal of Screen Door Press is to publish thought-provoking books that feature relatable characters, strong narratives, and beautiful language to champion diverse views from throughout the Black diaspora. The new imprint will be edited by Crystal Wilkinson, Bush-Holbrook Endowed Professor at the University of Kentucky.
Kerry James Marshall’s Portrait of Henry Louis Gate Jr. Donated to Cambridge University
Kerry James Marshall has donated his portrait of Harvard's Henry Louis Gates Jr. to the University of Cambridge. Professor Gates holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in English language and literature from Clare College at the University of Cambridge. The work is Marshall's first portrait of a living person.
University of Virginia School of Law Establishes the Education Rights Institute
The new institute, led by law professor Kimberly Jenkins Robinson, aims to ensure that all students receive a high-quality K-12 education and help schools understand how to address obstacles facing disadvantaged students.
Ball State University Combines Women’s, Gender, and African American Studies
The women and gender studies program and the African American studies program at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, have been combined to form the Department of Women's, Gender and African American Studies. Sharon Jones, a professor of English at Ball State University, has been named chair of the new department.
Vanderbilt’s New Center for Research on Inequality and Health
The center’s scholarship aims to deepen society’s understanding of the causes of health-related inequalities, how they intersect, and how they affect population health. The center’s research hopes to formulate potential solutions to these challenges through advocacy, intervention, and public policy.
Ohio State University Is Launching a Hip-Hop Studies Program
Jason Rawls and Stevie “Dr. View” Johnson have been hired as assistant professors to lead the new hip-hop studies program.
Grinnell College in Iowa Launches the Department of African Diaspora Studies
In 1971, the members of Concerned Black Students at Grinnell College in Iowa presented President Glenn Leggett with a list of 10 demands to improve life on campus for Black students and faculty. Among these demands was the creation of a Black studies major. Now that demand has become true.
Morgan State University Museum Added to the National Register of Historic Places
In 1935, Lillie Jackson was elected president of the Baltimore Branch of the NAACP. Under her leadership, the NAACP membership rose from less than 200 in 1935 to over 25,000 by 1946. She remained president until 1970. Her home was made into a museum and later ownership was transferred to Morgan State University,
Dartmouth College Launches the Institute for Black Intellectual and Cultural Life
The new institute will host visiting scholars, artists, writers, activists, and postdoctoral fellows; provide research grants to Dartmouth faculty and staff; fund student internships; and sponsor events such as symposia, performances, and courses, among other activities.
Huge Number of the Nation’s Political Leaders Have Director Ancestors Who Enslaved People
New research by Reuters has found that of the 536 members of the current U.S. Congress, at least 100 have ancestors who had ties to the institution of slavery. More than one quarter of all U.S. Senators have an ancestor who enslaved at least one person. Two justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and 11 of the nation's 50 governors had ancestors who were involved in slavery.
Huge Number of the Nation’s Political Leaders Have Direct Ancestors Who Enslaved People
New research by Reuters has found that of the 536 members of the current U.S. Congress, at least 100 have ancestors who had ties to the institution of slavery. More than one quarter of all U.S. Senators have an ancestor who enslaved at least one person. Two justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and 11 of the nation's 50 governors had ancestors who were involved in slavery.
Rhodes College in Memphis to Launch the Institute for Race and Social Transformation
Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, has announced that it is establishing the Institute for Race and Social Transformation (iRaST). The institute will serve as...
Center for African American Health Established at the University of Kansas
The University of Kansas Medical Center has announced the launch of the Center for African American Health, which will focus on improving the health outcomes of Black, African American, and other marginalized people and populations through service, education, research, and policy.
Vanderbilt University Scholar Has Established the “Possibilities Project”
The Possibilities Project, under the direction of Chezare Warren, an associate professor of leadership policy, and organizations at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development “is an arts-informed knowledge hub committed to improving Black students’ well-being in education and beyond.”
The University of Connecticut to Establish a Social Justice Course Requirement
The University Senate at the University of Connecticut has voted to create a social justice requirement in the university's curriculum. The new social justice requirement focuses on the one-credit “Anti-Black Racism” course that has been offered as an elective since the 3021=-22 academic year. The new requirement will be in effect beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
Northwestern University Is Changing the Name of Its Department of African American Studies
The department is seeking to better reflect the breadth of its scholarship and teaching, according to the faculty’s formal name change proposal. The term “African American studies” is often interpreted as being specific to the United States, while the department’s actual work is broader.
College Board Once Again Making Revisions to Advanced Placement Course on Black Studies
In the fall of 2022, The College Board offered an Advanced Placement course in African American studies for the first time. The course was offered in 60 high schools throughout the United States in a pilot program. Now 800 schools are planning to offer the course. But controversy about the content of the course persists.
University of North Carolina Is Preparing to Launch Graduate Programs in Black Studies
In 2021, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill approved the establishment of graduate programs in its African American and diaspora studies department. The department is now developing the curriculum and searching for graduate faculty. The first students will enroll in these new graduate programs in the fall of 2025.
Williams College in Massachusetts to Offer an African Studies Major
Williams College, the highly selective liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, has announced that it will begin to offer an Africana studies major this coming fall. Africana studies will be the 37th major available to students at the college. Federal data shows that Blacks make up 5 percent of the 2,200-member student body at Williams College.
University of Pittsburgh to Offer a Ph.D. Program in Africana Studies
The University of Pittsburgh’s graduate program in Africana Studies has announced that it will enroll its first cohort of students in its Ph.D. program this coming fall. The new Ph.D. program will offer students the choice of three different concentrations: Race & Equity, Migration & Community Transformation, and Culture & Creative Production.
