Nowruz is the Iranian New Year celebrated by many ethnicities around the world, with origins in ancient Persian culture. It marks the beginning of spring and includes rich traditions that symbolize renewal and hope for the new year. Parisa Ghaderi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design in the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan…
The MSU Womxn of Color Initiatives (WOCI) is bringing Colah B. Tawkin to Michigan State University’s campus March 27-31 as its 2023 Artist-in-Residence. Tawkin is the creator, producer, and voice behind the renowned Black in the Garden podcast. Using her extensive horticultural knowledge, endless love for Black people, and keen ability to teach in a spirit of joy and kinship, Tawkin has built a…
Four faculty members from the College of Arts & Letters are being honored by the University as recipients of 2022-2023 Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awards. These awards, presented by MSU's Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, recognize recipients' exceptional and innovative contributions that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Michigan State University through their teaching, research, programming, service,…
Michigan State University junior Morgan Braswell has had an interest in Black Studies from a very young age. Growing up in Detroit, watching shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and A Different World, and hearing her father talk about Malcolm X, instilled in Braswell a sense of pride in her culture. That influence has led her to become one…
Following in the footsteps set by her grandfather and mother who both attended Michigan State University, Anel "Nel" Robinson, a junior from Brookfield, Wisconsin, is now making history of her own as a member of the first cohort of students majoring in MSU’s new African American and African Studies (AAAS) major. “I love making history, and this is neither the…
Lynn Lammers’ work at Michigan State University has been nothing short of transformative. As Artistic Director of the Transforming Theatre Ensemble (TTE), she helps bring the art of theatre into a different area of campus life: diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) education. Through specialized workshops, the TTE, which is part of MSU’s Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, uses theatrical…
With a passion for Black feminisms, Bailey Griffin, an MSU sophomore, said it’s an honor to be among the first group of students at Michigan State University to declare African American and African Studies (AAAS) as their major. The newly established Bachelor of Arts degree in African American and African Studies is being offered for the first time this year through the Department of African American and African Studies in…
Michigan State University launched the new Translation Center to meet the growing needs for high-quality translation and interpreting services that can increase access to information on campus and beyond. The MSU Translation Center offers services in more than 20 languages including Ancient Greek, Arabic, Bengali, Catalan, English, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Mandarin, Mongolian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Thai,…
The “Black Feminisms: Past, Present, and Futures” course taught by Chamara Jewel Kwakye, Academic Specialist in MSU’s Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS), emphasizes creativity and the practice of feminism in everyday life –– Black feminism as doing –– while learning “to live life alongside one another.” A core introductory course in MSU’s newly established B.A. in African…
Jhala Martin is one of the first students at Michigan State University to declare African American and African Studies (AAAS) as her major. The new Bachelor of Arts degree offered through the Department of African American and African Studies within the College of Arts & Letters was launched this year to promote and support Black transdisciplinary advocacy, engagement, and thought.…