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Section: Demographics > African-American

Black Student Union Wants Klan Mural Removed

Black Student Union Wants Klan Mural RemovedBLOOMINGTON, Ind.Some students at Indiana University are pressing school officials to remove a mural that has been hanging in a classroom since 1941, saying the image of Ku Klux Klan members and a burning cross creates a hostile learning environment. The 12-foot-square painting by the late artist Thomas Hart […]

March 27, 2002

Faculty & Staff

‘Race in the College Classroom’

‘Race in the College Classroom’Minority faculty often face student resistance when teaching about raceDealing with conflict in the multiethnic classroom — well, it can pose dilemmas that stump even the so-called experts.An exchange during “Comparative and Collaborative Approaches to Teaching Multiethnic Literatures,” a panel at the recent Modern Languages Association conference, neatly illustrates the point. […]

March 13, 2002

Students

University of Tennessee Offers Grants to Attract Black Students

University of Tennessee Offers Grants to Attract Black StudentsKNOXVILLE, Tenn.Under pressure to increase minority enrollment, the University of Tennessee will begin a new scholarship program this fall to attract Black students. “This program is meant to make more resources available to African American students,” says Richard Bayer, dean of admissions. “We think we can do […]

March 13, 2002

African-American

Brigham Young University Elects First Black Student Body President

Brigham Young University Elects First Black Student Body PresidentPROVO, UtahBrigham Young University students have elected the school’s first Black student body president. Rob Foster, 25, of Raleigh, N.C., and his running mate, Eisha Tengelsen, captured 43 percent of the campus vote — 2,580 of 5,959 votes cast for three sets of candidates last month. Less […]

March 13, 2002

African-American

New Report Illuminates California’s Growing Higher Education Inequities

New Report Illuminates California’s Growing Higher Education Inequities Los Angeles“Stony the Road We Trod” is the first comprehensive look at higher education outcomes for African American students across California’s elementary, high school and college levels. The report highlights several disturbing facts, such as California Black males are 3 percent of the state’s overall population, 25 […]

March 13, 2002

African-American

A Snapshot of Black History Month Celebrations

A Snapshot of Black History Month CelebrationsTake a look at how a few colleges and universities across the country celebrated Black History Month.1. Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Fla.Black History Trivia Tournament; Gospel Concert; African American Composers Concert2. Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.Panel discussion: “Rasta, Reggae and Christianity: Lessons of Tolerance Between Cultures”; Performance: “An […]

February 27, 2002

African-American

Black Innovation: Learning From The Past

Black Innovation: Learning From The PastBy Ronald RoachIf it weren’t for Black History Month, it’s unlikely that a significant number of Americans would ever come across the names of individuals such as Granville T. Woods, Garrett Morgan, Jan Ernst Matzeliger and Elijah McCoy. These individuals, who lived largely during the 19th century, are the best […]

February 27, 2002

African-American

In Memoriam: Claude Brown

In Memoriam: Claude Brown (1937-2002)Sonny is gone. That is, the conscious non-ideological voice that humanized the underside of modern day Harlem will no longer walk the streets that defined his early life like black defines night. The four million readers of Manchild in the Promised Land (1965) know that Sonny was actually the writer, teacher […]

February 27, 2002

Leadership & Policy

Gates Ponders Move to Princeton; Chicago Scholar Joins Harvard’s Ranks

Gates Ponders Move to Princeton; Chicago Scholar Joins Harvard’s RanksNEWARK, N.J.The head of Harvard’s Afro-American studies program, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., says he will decide this summer whether he will follow his colleague Dr. Anthony Appiah to Princeton University. Last month, Princeton appointed Appiah as a full professor in the university’s philosophy department (see […]

February 27, 2002

Students

High Jinks at Harvard

High Jinks at Harvard Overshadow Real IssuesIf you haven’t heard about the flap between Harvard’s President Lawrence Summers and the institution’s University Professor Cornel West, you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere. Taking a break from the war and Enron, the New York Times made the showdown into headline news, with every rambling hater in […]

February 13, 2002

African-American

The Staying Power Of Black Cultural Centers

The Staying Power Of Black Cultural CentersThe first Black cultural centers appeared on predominantly White college campuses toward the end of the 1960s. The activities of civil rights organizations and other progressives ushered in an awakening on campuses to the idea of being culturally pluralistic, and the Black cultural center became the symbol of this […]

February 13, 2002

Leadership & Policy

ABCC: An Idea Born Out of Frustration

ABCC: An Idea Born Out of FrustrationDr. Fred Hord, founder of the Association of Black Culture Centers (ABCC), like many of his mentors, has spent almost his entire life advocating racial justice in the streets and Black intellectual prowess in the classroom.So no one was particularly surprised when in 1987, Hord, then the director of […]

February 13, 2002

Faculty & Staff

Black Cultural Centers: Standing On Shaky Ground?

Black Cultural Centers: Standing On Shaky Ground?As college campuses become more diverse, many find the future of Black cultural centers in question.By David HefnerAsk most anyone on a college campus about the value of cultural centers, and most will quickly tout a number of virtues. They help retain students of color, many through graduation, help […]

February 13, 2002

Faculty & Staff

Appiah Accepts Princeton Appointment

Appiah Accepts Princeton AppointmentPRINCETON, N.J.Dr. Kwame Anthony Appiah, who has been a noted member of the Harvard University Afro-American studies department, will join the Princeton University faculty as a full professor effective Sept. 1, according to Princeton University officials. He submitted a resignation letter to Harvard officials in late January. Appiah has been the Charles […]

February 13, 2002

Faculty & Staff

The Great ‘Misunderstanding’ at Harvard

The Great ‘Misunderstanding’ at HarvardPresident’s criticism of Cornel West has left supporters of Afro-American studies unsettled.By Ronald RoachFor those who believed the long struggle to put Afro-American studies at Harvard University on solid footing had ceased years ago, the recent controversy over Harvard president Dr. Lawrence H. Summers’ private rebuke of Afro-American studies professor Dr. […]

February 13, 2002

Students

On the Job Market

On the Job MarketPositions in multiethnic literature hold firm,while other fields see decline.There’s good news on the job lists maintained by the Modern Language Association (MLA) for aspiring professors of African American literature and culture: The academy has a job for you. For the second year running, jobs in multiethnic literature have continued to rise, […]

January 30, 2002

African-American

Tennessee Researcher Conducts Slave Housing Study

Tennessee Researcher Conducts Slave Housing StudyMURFREESBORO, Tenn.The search for standing slave housing or “slave spaces” has Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) researcher Michael Strutt very busy these days.An archaeologist whose professional background includes time spent at Virginia plantation sites, Strutt formally embarked upon the Slave Housing Survey in 2001 after he garnered support from the […]

January 30, 2002

African-American

Avoiding the ‘Divide and Conquer’ Environment on Campus

Avoiding the ‘Divide and Conquer’ Environment on CampusBlack administrators and faculty at historically White colleges and universities may be affected by tension-filled “divide and conquer” environments on campus. In higher education, these individuals generally constitute a minority population. They have limited power to influence institutional ends and have the ability to exert control over fewer […]

January 16, 2002