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...
New Interdisciplinary Journal on Diaspora Studies Founded at Kentucky State University
The journal will be published twice a year. Egbunam Amadife of Kentucky State will serve as managing editor.
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 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.
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.
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.
Wayne State University Announces a Cluster Hire Program for 30 Scholars Focused on Black...
Wayne State University is launching a cluster hire program that will recruit and hire 30 new humanities faculty and create the Detroit Center for Black Studies. The initiative will support Wayne State's goal to build a more inclusive and equitable university by prioritizing faculty and research centered on the Black experience.
Williams College in Massachusetts to Add an Africans Studies Major
The nine-course major will consist of three required courses and six electives. Currently, there has been a five-course concentration in Africana studies that consists of two required courses and three electives. With the addition of African studies as a major, the concentration will be eliminated by 2026.
Ron DeSantis Mounts Effort to Challenge Diversity Programs at State Universities in Florida
Ron DeSantis, the newly re-elected governor of Florida, has notified all state-operated universities in Florida that they are required to “provide a comprehensive list of all staff, programs, and campus activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and critical race theory,” as well as an accounting of all state funds used to fund such efforts.
The College Board and Governor Ron DeSantis Add Fuel to the Fire Over Black...
On February 11, the College Board issued a statement that said, "we are proud of this course. But we have made mistakes in the rollout that are being exploited. We deeply regret not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education’s slander." On February 13, Governor Ron DeSantis said that Florida may reevaluate Florida's entire relationship with The College Board.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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,
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.
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.
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.
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.
Two Black Scholars Named Calvin Bland Fellows at the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania has announced the first cohort of Calvin Bland Fellows. The fellows, all members of the university's faculty, will conduct research on boys and young men of color. Two of the three new Calvin Bland fellows are African Americans.
An Honor for the Africana Studies Department at the University of Cincinnati
The department received the Sankore Institutional Award from the National Council for Black Studies at the council's annual convention in Atlanta.
Emory Opens New Archive of African American History to Researchers
The family papers of artist and civil rights activist Edwin Harleston and his wife, photographer Elise Harlston, have been fully archived and are now available to researchers at the university's Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library.
Penn State Creates New Doctoral Degree Program in African American Studies
According to the university's count, Penn State will be the 12th university in the United States to offer doctoral degrees in African American studies.
Brandeis University Announces Hiring Campaign in Black Studies
The university, where only 4 percent of the undergraduate student body is Black, has announced that it will hire two faculty members in African diaspora studies in the first phase of a multi-year cluster hire in the discipline.
UCLA Receives Donation of African Art Valued at More Than $14 Million
The Fowler Museum at the University of California at Los Angeles has received a donation of 92 pieces of African art from the collection of Jay T. and Deborah R. Last of Beverly Hills.
New Center on Urban Education Research
The University of Missouri-Kansas City has established the Urban Education Research Center to conduct research and analysis aimed at improving the lives of urban residents throughout the U.S.
Harvard Business School Honors Its Black Alumnae
The new website honoring Black women graduates was established in conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration of coeducation in the full-time MBA program at Harvard Business School.
Harvard’s New Group of W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute Fellows
Black scholars who are among the new group of fellows are Christopher Emdin, Shose Kessi, Achille Mbembe, Mark Anthony Neal, Wole Soyinka, and Deborah Willis.
Florida International University Begins a Collaborative Effort on African Diaspora Studies
Florida International University in Miami has entered into an agreement with the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar in Quito, Ecuador, to develop a collaborative program in African diaspora studies and Latin American cultural studies.
New Black Studies Course Will Fulfill Core Requirement at the University of Arkansas
The African and African American studies program at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, is offering a new course, entitled "The African American Experience," that will fulfill the general core requirement in the humanities for undergraduate students.
University of Arkansas to Offer a Master’s Degree in Black Sacred Music
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville has announced that beginning next fall it will offer a master's degree program in Black scared music. The university states that this will be first degree program of its kind in the United States.
Virginia State University Offering a New Course on HBCU History
Virginia State University is now offering what could be the nation’s first higher education course in the history of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This is the first semester that the course is being offered. It quickly filled to capacity.
Northwestern Faculty Seek to Change the Name of African American Studies Department
The department of African American studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, has voted unanimously to rename the department to Black studies. The process of officially renaming the department could take as long as a year.
