The Department of African American Studies (AAS) at Syracuse University is an academic department supporting

Africana studies Black studies or Africana studies (with nationally specific terms, such as African American studies and Black Canadian studies), is an interdisciplinary academic field that primarily focuses on the study of the history, culture, and politics of ...

. It is located at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

. It is part of the

Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences The Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) is the founding liberal arts college of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1871, it is the oldest and largest college at Syracuse University by enrollment. It off ...

. The Department supports an external community based unit that is a part of the department and has played a central role in shaping culture and arts in the

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

city community - Community Folk Art Center (CFAC). It has also supported the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company (PRPAC) in the past. These are both independent units that were housed or founded by the departmentMugo, Micere, "Message from the Chair", ''Pan African Studies at Syracuse University Newsletter'', 2007–2008. The department also houses the award-winning library, the

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

Memorial Library. It currently oversees the internationally recognized university wide initiative "Africa Initiative". Its other projects include the nationally recognized " Paris Noir" and the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

Environmental Justice and Gender Project. It has had a long history of activism within the university, surrounding community, and abroad through its strong international network. The AAS department has housed many renowned scholars in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean or African Caribbean people are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern Afro-Caribbean people descend from the Indigenous peoples of Africa, Africans (primarily fr ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, Afro-Latin American, and Afro-European studies.

History

The AAS department was created in the spirit of revolutionary thinking. Syracuse students were among the first in the United States to rebel against institutionalized injustices in education in the 1960s.Davis, Barbara Sheklin, ''Syracuse African Americans''. Arcadia Publishing. 2006 When

Ernie Davis Ernest R. Davis (December 14, 1939 – May 18, 1963) was an American college football player who was a halfback for the Syracuse Orangemen who won the Heisman Trophy in 1961. He was the award's first black recipient. Davis was selected firs ...

became the first Black football player to win the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

in 1961, it was a major landmark for progress for African Americans in higher education. Syracuse alumnus

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

noted in a tribute speech in 2011, that

"gave a whole group of people hope". Subsequently, racial discord in the football program began to be highlighted, which resulted in an increase in racial tension. This tension began in 1969 when a group known as the "

Syracuse 8 The Syracuse Eight were 9 college football players who advocated for an end to discrimination against African American football players at Syracuse University and for other reforms to the program. They eventually boycotted a practice and then the ...

" highlighted the discrimination they faced in football by coach Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder. By the opening pre-game of the season, tensions were so high that they resulted in a confrontation between nearly 100 policemen and at least 400 students at the football stadium at Syracuse University. Due to increasing racial tension and in response to the civil rights movement, in 1968, Black students at Syracuse University staged a protest outside of

S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications The Newhouse School of Public Communications (formally S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications; also as the Newhouse School) is the communications and journalism school of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The school was named af ...

, demanding that the university offer Black Studies classes that highlighted and included the intellectual, historical and cultural contributions of African Americans. The administration at Syracuse University subsequently began to make concessions by offering Black Studies classes as an elective. African American Studies (AAS) began as a program in 1972 and then became a department as part of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1979.Davis, Deborah R. ''Black Students' Perceptions: the complexity of persistence to graduation at an American University'', NY: Peter Lang Publishing, 2004, 2007. The 1960s student protests also resulted in an Afro-American Cultural center and marked the beginning of the MLK library collection. The first conference on Critical Issues in Afro-American and African Studies was held at Syracuse University in 1976. During the 1980s, Syracuse students again advocated the administration to widen the pool of African American faculty applicants, hire a department chairperson and in order to increase the staff in the AAS department. The department has stayed without a chair and other key positions for more than a year. Members of the Syracuse African-American Students Association (SAS) were at the forefront of this movement.Davis, ''Black Students' Perceptions'' (2004, 2007), p. 16. In 1989, 120 SAS member students confronted Chancellor Melvin Eggers at a round table meeting in order to air their grievances. The group's efforts led to a 400-student protest in 1990 led by SAS President Quentin Stith. The students also advocated for a program that allowed all students (not just those of African-American descent) to learn about the contribution of African Americans in American history. The students were concerned with preserving Black identity and saw their dedication towards African studies as a collective struggle. Throughout the 1980s, students continued to play an active role on the university campus. It has now grown into a national and international renowned program that explores linkages between

and the

African Diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from List of ethnic groups of Africa, people from Africa. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the native West Africa, West and Central Africans who were ...

. It continues to pioneer revolutionary thinking in its projects, programs, and academics.

AAS auxiliary units

Community Folk Art Center (CFAC)

CFAC is an extension (unit) of AAS founded in 1972 by Herbert T. Williams and Harry Morgan that aims at showcasing Black art and artists from underrepresented groups.Watkins, Jason, "Interview with Prof. Bill Rowland and Kheli Willetts", ''Pan African Studies at Syracuse University Newsletter'', Special Edition, 2004/2005. It hosts exhibitions, films, artist workshops, art classes, and dance performances for the community and students. It is housed with the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company, Inc. (PRPAC) and serves as an artistic hub in the Syracuse community. Past exhibits at the Community Folk Art Gallery include works by

Palmer Hayden Palmer C. Hayden (born Peyton Cole Hedgeman; January 15, 1890 – February 18, 1973) was an American painter who depicted African-American life, landscapes, seascapes, and African influences. He sketched, painted in both oils and watercolo ...

Projects also include oral history programs in Syracuse.

Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company (PRPAC)

A former unit of AAS, the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company, Inc. (PRPAC) was founded by William H. Rowland and Roy Delemos in 1982 as a non-profit performing arts company. It was founded as a non-profit performing arts company in

. It was named after African-American concert singer, recording artist, athlete, actor, and activist

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

. It became a part of the university and AAS in 1989 and has worked at improving art education on the Syracuse university campus and in the Syracuse community.

Academics

AAS offers students opportunities for academic study, research, community involvement and study abroad."SU's Department of African American Studies receives major Ford grant for 'Gender and Environmental Justice' project"
''Syracuse University News'', April 2, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2023. The department's interdisciplinary curriculum enables students to engage, analyze and create knowledge involving African Americans, and make linkages with areas of Latin America, the Caribbean and continental Africa.

Gender and Environmental Justice Focus

The Department received a Ford Foundation grant in order to support the development of gender and

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

in Africana studies nationally.Carty, Linda, "AAS Gets Ford Foundation Grant", ''Pan African Studies at Syracuse University Newsletter'', 2007–2008, p. 12. The project is entitled "Gender and Environmental Justice," and makes AAS the only department of its kind in the nation to recognize the importance of environmental justice in its curriculum. The Ford Foundation also awarded support towards a postdoctoral program focusing on civic engagement in the arts, public humanities, architecture and the media. The Ford Foundation grant facilitated a Black feminist lecture series "Black Feminism and Environmental Justice" lecture series, research grants, Community Mapping and Photovoice Research project, and symposiums for Black women and other minorities.

Undergraduate Studies - African American Studies

The department offers a major and minor in African American studies that is interdisciplinary and focuses on international studies. The undergraduate studies program focuses on community involvement and on building an international experience for students. It has pioneered groundbreaking study abroad programs such as "Paris Noir", "Beyond the Beach:The Caribbean as a Place, Not just Playground", and a study abroad programs centered on Black

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

(

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

) and

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Graduate Studies - Pan African Studies

The Masters in Pan African Studies Program began as a unique program in Black Studies in the United States in both its design and delivery. It began in 2005 as a uniquely innovative program that has an emphasis in the area studies of Africa, the Caribbean and the United States. Whereas most programs concentrate on history and biographies, it focuses on the linkages between Africa and the African Diaspora from a multi-disciplinary approach involving cultural, social scientific, political, economic and environmental perspectives. It also provides for intellectual inquiry into philosophy of

Pan Africanism Pan-Africanism is a nationalist movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous peoples and diasporas of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the Trans-Sa ...

and Pan Africanism as a historical, cultural, and contemporary movement. It is the only masters program in Pan African studies that focuses on field research and theory. The Program has an experiential component through affiliations that the department has with institutions abroad that leads to all students studying in Africa, the Caribbean, Canada, or African American sites.

Africa Initiative

The AAS department views Africa as an integral part of its scholarly vision and mission. The Africa Initiative (AI) is located in the department of African American studies and was launched in 2001 with a goal of focusing on Africa. AI aims at spearheading revitalized interest in Africa, which has declined in many United States institutions of higher learning since the end of the "

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. Its aim is to also address Africa's silencing, marginalization and stereotyping. It also aims to revitalize interest in Africa as an area of study after the decline of the East African Studies Program at Syracuse University which initiated projects including the

Eduardo Mondlane Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane (20 June 1920 – 3 February 1969) was a Mozambican revolutionary and anthropologist who was the founder of the Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO). He served as the FRELIMO's first leader until his assassinat ...

Lecture Series. The East African program had also been instrumental in spearheading an east African library collection at Syracuse's Bird Library that includes the Kenyan and Tanzanian national archives (one of the few collections of these archives in the United States).

Eduardo Mondlane Brown Bag Lecture Series

AI administers the "

Memorial Lecture Series". The lecture series was named after the founder of Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (

FRELIMO FRELIMO (; from , ) is a democratic socialist political party in Mozambique. It has governed the country since its independence from Portugal in 1975. Founded in 1962, FRELIMO began as a nationalist movement fighting for the self-determination ...

, who was also a former professor at Syracuse University. In recent years, it has become more important in keeping a focus on topical issue on Africa in academia. The lecture series was originally administered by the East African Studies Program at Syracuse University that is now dissolved For several years, this interactive series has brought scholars, students, and the community together to discuss pertinent issues concerning Africa to the university. It is during one of these lecture series on February 20, 1970, that

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...

nationalist

Amílcar Cabral Amílcar Lopes Cabral (; – ) was a Bissau-Guinean and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, political organizer, and diplomat. He was one of Africa's foremost anti-colonial leaders. He was also a pan-Africanist and intellectual nationalist ...

delivered his famous speech "National Liberation and Culture" at Syracuse University. Other notable speakers in the series have included UN Ambassador to Rwanda Stanilas Kamanzi(2003), Ethiopian Ambassador Kasshun Ayele, and writer Veronique Tadjo, Dr. Efemini Andrew, and

Jerome Verdier Jerome J. Verdier Sr. is a leading human rights activist and environmental lawyer in Liberia. In 2006, Verdier was also selected to serve as chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee for Liberia. Verdier is a multiple graduate of the U ...

, the chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

Symposia and conferences

AI periodically hosts major symposia and conferences. In the past, this included the WEB Du Bois and ''The Crisis Magazine'' Symposia and International Human Rights Celebration.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

The MLK library was founded by the Syracuse student organization SAAS (Student African American Society) in 1968. It is currently one of the few university libraries in the country that has an entire library with a dedicated African-American collection It consists of video, art, non-print titles, books and journals. It has a special collection, the

Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, – March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. After escaping slavery, Tubman made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, us ...

collection. The materials also include special acquisitions for the Africa collection, Caribbean collection, Afro-European collection and Afro-Central American collection.

Notable forums, projects and colloquia

*MLK Jr Lectures: The colloquium brings speakers to the campus and past speakers have included

Mary Frances Berry Mary Frances Berry (born February 17, 1938) is an American historian, writer, lawyer, activist and professor who focuses on U.S. constitutional and legal, African-American history. Berry is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thou ...

, and

Jayne Cortez Jayne Cortez (May 10, 1934 – December 28, 2012) was an African-American poet, activist, small press publisher and spoken-word performance artist. Her writing is part of the canon of the Black Arts Movement. She was married to jazz saxophonist ...

. *Black feminist lecture series: Since 2007, a feminist lecture series has brought notable speakers to the campus, including Patricia McFadden, Nellie Hester-Bailey,

Carole Boyce Davies Carole Boyce Davies is a Caribbean-American professor of Africana Studies and English at Cornell University, the author of the prize-winning ''Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Claudia Jones'' (2008) and ''Black Women, Writing and Identity: ...

. * Other notable guest speakers include:

Merle Collins Merle Collins (born 29 September 1950 in Aruba) ...

Manning Marable William Manning Marable (May 13, 1950 – April 1, 2011) was an American professor of public affairs, history and African-American Studies at Columbia University. Marable founded and directed the Institute for Research in African-American Studi ...

, David Driscoll,

Sonia Sanchez Sonia Sanchez (born Wilsonia Benita Driver; September 8, 1934) is an American poet, writer, and professor. She was a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement and has written over a dozen books of poetry, as well as short stories, critical essays ...

* The AAS department sponsored

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

's play ''

Death and the King's Horseman ''Death and the King's Horseman'' is a play by Wole Soyinka based on a real incident that took place in Nigeria during the colonial era: the horseman of a Yoruba King was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the colonial authorities. In a ...

'' * AAS is working with the Syracuse-based Dunbar Center and the Onondaga Historical Association to archive local black history and develop the oral history collection of Syracuse's black history through a mapping project.

Publications

AAS used to publish an annual newsletter, ''Pan African Studies Newsletter'', from 2003 to 2008, that focused on

Black Studies Black studies or Africana studies (with nationally specific terms, such as African American studies and Black Canadian studies), is an interdisciplinary academic field that primarily focuses on the study of the history, culture, and politics of ...

and the department that is no longer published.

Notable faculty

* Horace Campbell - political scientist, author * Bill Cole - author, musicologist *Linda Carty (sociologist) - activist, sociologist * Kwame Dixon, political scientist *

Janis Mayes Dr. Janis Alene Mayes is an American author, literary critic and translator and a professor in Africana literature. Early life Mayes gained her undergraduate degree in French literature at Fisk University. She was a Fulbright Scholar. She had ad ...

- author, literary critic * Micere Mugo - activist, poet, playwright *

Milton Sernett Milton C. Sernett is an American historian, author, and professor at Syracuse University. He has published many books, articles and book chapters on African American history. His published works in African-American history focus on abolitionism, r ...

- author, historian * S.N. Sangmpam - political scientist, author * Renate Simson - author

Distinguished visiting professors/faculty

Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American Marxist and feminist political activist, philosopher, academic, and author. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness at the University of ...

- American civil rights activist, author * Patricia McFadden - Swazi sociologist, feminist

Notable alumni

* Adolphus G. Belk, B.A. African American Studies, political scientist * Pierce Freelon, MA Pan African Studies 08, musician

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Department of African American Studies - Syracuse University AFAM 1979 establishments in New York (state) African studies Black studies organizations Caribbean studies Universities and colleges established in 1979 Latin American studies Library centers