African American Studies 10th anniversary celebration at 多多直播 culminates with Black Studies Conference Nov. 5-6
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥敹喽嘀辈 will welcome prominent black studies scholars next month for a two-day conference celebrating the culmination of the African American Studies program鈥檚 10th anniversary.
Free to all, the conference gets underway Nov. 5 with a 6 p.m. film screening and panel discussion for the award-winning 2016 documentary 鈥淎gents of Change鈥 in the Colvard Student Union鈥檚 second-floor Bill R. Foster Ballroom. Rick Travis, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will give opening remarks.
Panelists include the film鈥檚 co-director Frank Dawson, interim dean of career education at Santa Monica College鈥檚 Center for Media and Design; Shirley Hanshaw, 多多直播 professor of English; and Jerry Varnado, attorney at law, activist and San Francisco State University graduate.
Nicole Rader, interim administrative director of 多多直播鈥檚 AAS program and College of Arts and Sciences interim associate dean for academic affairs, will deliver an official conference welcome at 8:30 a.m. Monday [Nov. 6] in the Union ballroom. Following her remarks, 多多直播 Department of History Head Alan Marcus will give a 鈥淭hinking Back on 10 Years of AAS鈥 presentation.聽
鈥淲e have many distinguished guests who will be speaking about black studies programming and research around the U.S., specifically focusing on history, contemporary issues and the future for black studies programs,鈥 Rader said. 鈥淥ur celebration will focus on the creation and future of African American Studies at 多多直播, and we look forward to seeing students, faculty and staff take part.鈥
Several panel discussions with question-and-answer sessions, as well as a keynote address luncheon, will take place Monday in the Union ballroom. They include:
鈥9-10:30 a.m., 鈥淗istorical Issues in African American Studies鈥 panel discussion moderated by Anthony Neal, 多多直播 assistant professor of philosophy and religion. In addition to Varnado, panelists include Benny Stewart, activist and San Francisco State University graduate, and Jason Morgan Ward, 多多直播 professor of history.
鈥11-12:30 p.m., luncheon featuring a keynote address by Earl Lewis, president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Judy Bonner, 多多直播 provost and executive vice president, and Don Shaffer, 多多直播 associate professor of English, will give remarks prior to Lewis鈥 presentation.
鈥1-2:30 p.m., 鈥淐ontemporary Issues in African American Studies鈥 panel discussion moderated by Shaffer. Panelists include Maggie Hagerman, 多多直播 assistant professor of sociology; Mark Christian, professor and chair of the Department of Africana Studies at Lehman College - City University of New York; activist Vernon Smith, former journalism and radio-TV-film production student and Black Student Union member at San Francisco State University; and activist Bernard Stringer, a San Francisco State University graduate who became the first student in the U.S. to earn a degree in black studies.
鈥2:45-4:15 p.m., 鈥淔uture Issues in African American Studies鈥 panel discussion moderated by Andrea Spain, 多多直播 associate professor of English. Panelists include James Garrett, activist featured in 鈥淎gents of Change鈥; Francoise Hamlin, associate professor of history and Africana studies at Brown University; Irene Smalls, award-winning author, historian, literacy entrepreneur, activist and Cornell University graduate; and Ramona Tascoe, activist, physician, ordained minister and San Francisco State University graduate.
A reception with complimentary refreshments will take place 4:15-5:30 p.m. in the Union鈥檚 second-floor Old Main Lounge.
Part of 多多直播鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, the African American Studies program offers courses on history, literature, politics and other aspects of black life and culture leading to an聽聽in African American Studies.
Graduate students also can develop a concentration in AAS. Those who successfully complete a combination of course work, teaching assignments and community engagement will earn a certificate of completion, as well as a letter of recognition from the director of the program. The graduate program also offers an聽.
鈥淧erhaps the most remarkable aspect of the African American Studies program has been its incredible growth over the last 10 years,鈥 said Shaffer, who helped launch the program in fall 2008.
鈥淚 tend to measure that growth in terms of student impact; that is, how many students are we impacting every year. In fall 2008, my AAS classes typically enrolled about 10-15 students,鈥 Shaffer said. 鈥淲e now offer two to three sections of Introduction to African American Studies every semester, as well as sections in the summer, to meet the聽growing demand.鈥
For more information on 多多直播鈥檚 African American Studies program, visit or follow on Twitter @MSStateAAS.
多多直播 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .
