Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Learning to ‘Live Life Alongside One Another’ with Black Feminisms Course

December 2, 2022

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…

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

Finding Community Within New African American and African Studies Major

November 21, 2022

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.…

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

MSU Celebrates New Academic Learning Space for Department of African American and African Studies

November 18, 2022

Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters held an official opening Nov. 17 for a new space dedicated to the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) — the first department of its kind at MSU. “The Ascension of AAAS” event celebrated the 8,400-square-foot renovated space as well as the new bachelor’s degree offered by the department. Located on…

African American and African Studies / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Grant / News / Research / U.S. Impact

Forms of Freedom Project Reimagines Pedagogy, Artmaking, and Educational Justice

November 16, 2022

Conceived through an imperative to reimagine the possibilities for public pedagogy, Forms of Freedom: The Art and Design of Black and Indigenous Creative Public Pedagogies is a two-year research collaboration between Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artist collectives to exchange, learn, and create radical forms of artmaking and education.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News / Research / Scholarship

Inaugural Endowed Professor Teaches How to Connect Writing With Culture

November 15, 2022

As the inaugural Karen L. Gillmor Ph.D. Endowed Professor in Professional and Public Writing at Michigan State University, Kristin Arola, an innovative scholar and researcher, is not only teaching students persuasive and effective writing skills she also is showing them how to connect and make sense of their culture through their writing. “To have been selected to serve in this…

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

Finding Her Purpose in the New African American and African Studies Major

November 14, 2022

For Michigan State University sophomore Amber McAddley, her African American and African Studies (AAAS) major is helping her learn about herself and what it means to be “Black in America.” After the new major launched last spring, McAddley became one of the first students at MSU to declare AAAS as their major. While also pursuing a minor in Spanish, McAddley…

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Internship / News / Student

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…