Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Recent MSU Graduate Reflects on Internship with United Farm Workers Foundation

October 13, 2022

As a former farm worker, Edith Saavedra was able to easily connect with the farmworker community and their struggles during her internship with the UFW (United Farm Workers) Foundation, a national organization that mobilizes farmworkers across the country to advocate for equitable policies including immigration reform, pesticide protections, heat standards, hazard pay, and other worker protections. The recent Michigan State…

African American and African Studies / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Event / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Student

New Space Maximizes Vision of African American and African Studies Department

September 21, 2022

The newest department in Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters will have a new space on campus to call home. On Thursday, Nov. 17, from 3-5 p.m. on the second floor of North Kedzie Hall, the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) will officially open the doors to its renovated, 8,400-square-foot space during a ribbon-cutting event,…

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Grant / News / Student

CREATE! Micro-Grant Program Announces 2022 Winners

August 8, 2022

The 2022 winning proposals of Michigan State University’s CREATE! Micro-Grant Program recently were announced and represent a variety of disciplines and mediums. Each of the 12 proposals, submitted by MSU students from a range of undergraduate majors, will receive $500 to be used toward the creation of the proposed projects. The goal is to critically engage, through art, with the…

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Exhibition / Faculty / News

Work by Critical Race Studies Artists-in-Residence on Display at MSU Union Art Gallery

May 11, 2022

The work of Dr. Elka M. Stevens, 2021-2022 Artist-in-Residence: Critical Race Studies, is now on display through Friday, June 10, at the MSU Union Art Gallery. Through this exhibit, titled 38.8%: Visualizing Racial Identity in Search of Selfhood and Others, Stevens interrogates ideas of race, ethnicity, nationality, genetics, and their role in identity. Although many aspects of identity are unalterable…

Award / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Health / News / Research / Student / U.S. Impact

Ph.D. Student Receives National Award for Efforts to Improve LGBTQIA+ Health Outcomes

May 2, 2022

An advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, Wilfredo Flores, Ph.D. Candidate in Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures at Michigan State University set to graduate this spring, is being recognized, both locally and on a national level, for his dedication to delivering health and medical knowledge to LGBTQIA+ people. “People who are not straight or cisgender often have to be really attendant…

African American and African Studies / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / News / Programs / Student / Student

First-Generation Student Finds Niche, Discovers Value of MSU Education

April 27, 2022

College wasn’t always an end goal for Gabby Riley. While her paternal grandmother was a role model as a long-time teacher in Detroit Public Schools and a graduate of Howard University, her parents didn’t follow the same collegiate path. As a student of Renaissance High School in Detroit, Riley didn’t view herself as college-bound, but quickly changed her mind after…

African American and African Studies / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News

MSU African American and African Studies ‘Unicorns’ Drive Black Futures Beyond Survival Into Wellness

April 11, 2022

The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) was initially founded as a Ph.D. granting program in 2002. On July 1, 2019, AAAS became a department. In Spring 2020, MSU appointed Ruth Nicole Brown the inaugural chair.

Zoom screenshot of six individuals and 3 groups of students.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Michigan Impact / Student / Student / U.S. Impact / Uncategorized / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Outreach Effort Celebrates Works of Black Playwrights

April 6, 2022

A group of Michigan State University faculty and students from the Department of Theatre in collaboration with the Wharton Center Institute for Arts & Creativity led an effort to bring the Next Narrative Monologue Competition (NNMC) to Michigan, a national high school competition that celebrates the diverse perspectives and worldviews of the Black community by bringing works of contemporary Black…

Award / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Grant / Linguistics / News / Research / Scholarship / U.S. Impact

LiLaC Faculty Promote Open Pedagogy Beyond MSU

April 1, 2022

The world of language teaching has faced enormous challenges in delivering quality education due to the abrupt transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the major challenges is the difficulty of using traditional textbooks in the new reality, and Arabic language programs are no exception. Two Assistant Professors of Arabic at Michigan State University, Sadam Issa and…

African American and African Studies / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Programs / Student / Student / Uncategorized

New BA Degree in African American and African Studies Now Offered at MSU

March 29, 2022

For the first time in Michigan State University history, undergraduate students can major in African American and African Studies. This semester, MSU’s College of Arts & Letters launched the Bachelor of Arts degree in African American and African Studies through the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) that was founded in February 2019. Ruth Nicole Brown, AAAS Professor…