From the days of slavery to the Black Lives Matter movement, religion has played an essential role in the lives of Black Americans. However, that role is often misunderstood or viewed through stereotypes of submissive slaves bowing their heads in prayer and acceptance of their fate. In reality, Black religion has evolved as a means of protest and power. The…
Associate Professor Tamura Lomax is going back to her roots to the discipline that first inspired her scholarly work. In January 2023, she will begin teaching classes as a faculty member of Michigan State University’s Department of Religious Studies. A scholar, author, and activist, Lomax never left Religious Studies, it’s always been an important part of her life, but now…
Committed to raising awareness about critical issues and the academic or community-based work being done to solve them, Sharieka Shontae Botex, a third-year Ph.D. student in MSU’s Writing and Rhetoric program, created the Shaping Society Through Scholarship and Action event, which featured Black women scholars and their community-focused work as well as the important work of local leaders and community organizers.…
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…
The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) is offering several new or revised undergraduate courses during the Spring 2022 semester that each, in their own way, highlight and emphasize the department’s focus on Black Feminisms, Black Genders Studies, and Black Sexualities Studies. “Excellence in undergraduate education requires an ethic of care for students’ ideas and a demonstrated actionable…
On Saturday, June 19, Michigan State University will host a university-wide and in-person celebration of Juneteenth to commemorate the freeing of African American slaves in the United States. This week-long celebration includes virtual film screenings, panel discussions, and webinars that will lead up to the in-person event. A recent MSU Today podcast featured four MSU scholars who discuss the sustained significance and impact of Juneteenth, including Dr. Tamura Lomax…
Initially started as a PhD granting program in 2002, with an undergraduate minor created in 2014, the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) was officially founded in 2019. Leading the program is Inaugural Department Chair Dr. Ruth Nicole Brown and Foundational Associate Professor Dr. Tamura Lomax. Though the formation of this new department during a global pandemic has presented unique challenges, Dr. Brown and Dr. Lomax have both a vision and mission that is committed to making concrete connections between scholarship, pedagogy, and social justice.
Being built to blaze a trail in higher education with its focus on Black Feminisms, Black Genders Studies, and Black Sexualities Studies, the architects of the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS), the newest department within MSU’s College of Arts & Letters, are unapologetic in this focus as they build the unit they have long dreamed about. Dr.…
“Why philosophy?” That’s a question MSU Philosophy Professor Kristie Dotson, formal advisor to the new Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS), has fielded many times before. Perhaps it is because she had never taken a philosophy course until she began graduate studies in philosophy. It could also be the centrality of Black feminisms in Dotson’s life and the…
Scholar, author, activist, and visionary builder, these are just a few words to describe Tamura Lomax, Foundational Associate Professor, who came to Michigan State University to work alongside Ruth Nicole Brown, Inaugural Chair, to envision and build the new vanguard Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS). Good timing and the extraordinary opportunity of creating a new department with…