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Read more about the article African American and African Studies Faculty Leaders to Deliver Keynote Address at Inaugural MLK Student Symposium

African American and African Studies Faculty Leaders to Deliver Keynote Address at Inaugural MLK Student Symposium

January 15, 2025

The inaugural MLK Student Symposium that is set to take place on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the MSU Union will give students the chance to discuss the challenges faced within systemic barriers, to share their experiences, express their identities, and promote inspiration for change. The keynote speakers for this event are Department of African American and African Studies faculty leaders Ruth Nicole Brown and LeConté Dill.

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Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Health / News / U.S. Impact

Ask the Expert: How Are Mental Health and Wellness Connected?

May 17, 2024

Mental health has become a part of wellness discussions in schools, workplaces, and health care organizations. In higher education, there has been a greater focus on mental health as one component of wellness that supports students in learning and persisting through to graduation. LeConté Dill, Associate Professor of African American and African Studies at Michigan State University, finds her students…

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Faculty / Grant / News

Several College of Arts & Letters Projects Supported by HARP Grants

December 13, 2023

Twelve College of Arts & Letters faculty members currently are working on projects supported by 2023 Humanities and Arts Research Program (HARP) Grants. The projects range from mixed media artwork and theatrical productions to the publication of books on a variety of topics including South African quilts and textiles, German migration history, and color cinema. Six of the faculty members…

News / Research / Student / Student

College of Arts & Letters Students Receive UURAF First-Place Awards for Research

May 8, 2023

Several College of Arts & Letters students earned first-place awards for their presentations at the 2023 University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF). The 25th UURAF at Michigan State University, which was held April 14 at the Breslin Student Events Center and online at Symposium, featured the research and creative endeavors of nearly 900 undergraduate students from 14 different colleges.…

African American and African Studies / Faculty / News / Staff

Faculty Voice: Envisioning Wellness and Justice for All

January 5, 2023

Dr. LeConté Dill is a scholar, educator, creative writer, and artist guided by Black Feminist ways of being and knowing. With a commitment toward transdisciplinary, community-accountable scholarship, her work focuses on the safety, resilience, and wellness strategies of urban Black girls and other youth of color. Dill’s scholarship is critically informed by years of working in partnership with youth and community…

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 / Faculty / News

Growing an Innovative Curriculum: New and Updated AAAS Courses for Fall

August 17, 2022

Michigan State University’s Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) continues its upward trajectory with the addition of five new or revised courses for the Fall 2022 semester. The courses offer contemporary perspectives and innovative curriculum within the evolving discipline of Black Studies. Each course highlights the department’s focus on Black Feminisms, Black Gender Studies, and Black Sexualities Studies…

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.

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…