Morgan Braswell said she is not the first in her family to attend college. But she is the first to stay the course. A sophomore, Braswell expects to graduate from Michigan State University in 2024 with her bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She’s also on track to complete a second major in African American and African Studies. It’s a scholarly path that…
Shayla Pham, a Graphic Design senior, recently completed a motion graphic designer internship for Cape Town Television, a South-African community television station. The internship, which was made possible through MSU Excel Network’s Global Remote Internship Program, allowed Pham to sharpen new skills in animation and to expand her graphic design skills by editing the organization’s graphics. Pham met with her…
A $2 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has helped launch the Diaspora Solidarities Lab (DSL), a Black feminist digital humanities initiative that supports solidarity work in Black and Ethnic Studies with a commitment to transformative justice. The DSL will help build knowledge communities through technology and serve as a co-creating space. It is a hub for Black feminist modes…
Growing up, Camille Jackson set a goal to pursue higher education. Now that she’s close to receiving her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, she’s expanded her goals to attend graduate school and to preserve the cultural works that shaped her trajectory as a first-generation college student. When she graduates from MSU this May, Jackson will conclude one leg of…
The current exhibit at the MSU Union Art Gallery captures the excitement and visual appeal of archaeological research while exploring “The Art of Archaeology.” The 27 black and white images that make up the exhibit were all taken at the MSU Excavations at Isthmia in Greece by Daniel Trego, Educational Media Design Specialist in MSU’s College of Arts & Letters. …
A degree in Art History doesn’t usually lead to an Emmy Award, but for alumna Amy Williams, her MSU education helped catalyze an acclaimed career in production design. Over the past decade, Williams has worked as a production designer on an array of films, TV shows, commercials, and music videos, using her background in art history as a creative foundation…
Dear College of Arts & Letters and Honors College Community, This weekend’s hostage standoff at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, was frightening and traumatic to members of our community. Each instance of violence that appears to target a specific community can send shockwaves that are felt by many — particularly those who identify with the victims closest to the…
The Toolbox Dialogue Initiative (TDI) Center, a new service center within MSU’s College of Arts & Letters, is a one-of-a-kind organization that provides philosophically based capacity-building services to research and practice groups locally, nationally, and internationally. Established in June 2021 and led by Executive Director Michael O’Rourke and Associate Directors Dr. Edgar Cardenas, Dr. Chet McLeskey, and Dr. Marisa Rinkus,…
Deon Bennett came to Michigan State University intent on becoming more independent and open to new opportunities. He achieved that and more through academic and leadership activities that have inspired him to learn more about his culture and leave a legacy for others facing similar challenges as young Black men. Bennett started his scholarly exploration of the Black experience by…
For his lifetime of service to the field of popular culture, Gary Hoppenstand, Professor of Film Studies and 20th-Century Literature in MSU’s Department of English, has won the Popular Culture Association’s (PCA) Presidential Award. He also is the 2021-2022 recipient of the Lynn Bartholome Eminent Scholar Award and will deliver the Bartholome Lecture, “The Story of Popular Culture as Story,”…