UF Intersections

UF Intersections Tradition and Transformation Edited by Dr. Vincent Adejumo African American Studies Volume 10, Issue 1 Spring 2016 Program Director’s Message: Dr. Sharon Austin 103 Walker Hall PO Box 118120 Gainesville, FL 32611 Greetings. Welcome to the Spring of Malcolm X in New York, 1954- eral sites in and around Gaines- 2016 African American Studies 1974, that examines the legacy of ville. Program newsletter. We have had a Malcolm X. Professor Evan Hart During the upcoming academic Phone: (352) 392-5724 busy and exciting semester and have has received two grants to com- year, we have invited Professor Fax: (352) 294-0007 not only co-sponsored and spon- plete her manuscript entitled Kathleen Cleaver of the Emory Email: [email protected] sored programs, but have also cele- University School of Law to brated the accomplishments of our speak this fall. In January 2017, College of Liberal Arts and faculty and students. Sciences we will show The Black Pan- thers: Vanguard of the Revolu- I want to begin by telling you about tion documentary. In addition, our sponsored activities. In January, Turlington Hall P.O Box we will host a Black Women in 117300 we sponsored by film, Reflections the Academy mini-conference in Gainesville FL 32611 Unheard: Black Women in Civil February 2017. P: 352.392.0780 F: 352.392.3584 Rights, as part of the celebration week for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We continue to educate our stu- In February, we sponsored a two- Inside this issue: Dr. Sharon Austin, Director dents and prepare them for grad- day symposium on the Obama ad- uate or law school programs ministration. of the African American Studies Program and Asso- or for the workforce with our major and minor. Twenty-seven Director’s Message 1 With the generous assistance of the ciate Professor of Political Yavitz Fund from the Center for the Science students are graduating with a major or minor during this aca- Faculty Spotlight 2 Humanities and Public Sphere, we invited Professor Michael Jefffries Building an Inclusive Movement: demic year and we congratulate of Wellesley College and Professor Feminism, Health, and the Na- them for their hard work and diligence. Alumni Spotlight 3 Fredrick Harris of Columbia Univer- tional Black Women's Health sity to discuss their research on Pres- Project. Professor Lauren Pearl- ident Obama. This symposium was man is also continuing to work Several of our graduates are also co-sponsored by the Bob Gra- on her book manuscript that ex- going to law, graduate, or medi- President Obama 3 ham Center for Public Service. We amines the history, politics, and cal school. Others are going into Symposium also co-sponsored lectures by Pro- civil rights movement in Wash- the workforce. Our internship fessor and Poet Nikki Giovanni, ington, D.C. Democracy’s Capi- program has benefited several African Americans 4 Professor Patricia Hill-Colling, and tal: Local Protest, National Poli- students and allowed them to In Paris Professor and Author Gilbert King. tics, and the Struggle for Civil explore various career options. Rights in Washington, D.C. is We are also preparing a proposal Dr. Ibram Kendi 5 I also had the pleasure of teaching under contract with the Universi- to offer a combined Bachelor’s/ my African Americans in Paris class ty of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Master’s degree in African this semester. I have taught this Press. Dr. Vincent Adejumo has American Studies that can be Congratulations! 6 class three times and had the pleas- also submitted a proposal to completed in five years. All in ure of escorting 14 students to SUNY Press for his book re- France for a week. We toured sever- search, For-Profit Colleges and all, it has been a successful semester, and we look forward to 7 al historical sites in and around the Universities: Big Money Influ- Graduate Awards city that pertained to African Ameri- encing Government, that exam- serving our students in the years cans. ines the impact of not-for-profit to come. colleges. I have received a con- Class of 2016 8 Our faculty have had numerous ac- tract from SUNY Press for my complishments this year. These third book, The Caribbeanization include the publication of Stamped of Black Politics: Race, Group Black Thursday 9 from the Beginning: The Definitive Consciousness, and Political History of Racist Ideas in America Participation in America. by Professor Ibram Kendi. This is Support African 10 his second book. He is also the au- Professor Patricia Hilliard-Nunn American Studies thor of The Black Campus Move- is also continuing to work on ment: Black Students and the Racial documentaries about Alachua Fall 2016 Courses 11 Reconstitution of Higher Education, County and the Chestnut Funeral 1965-1972 and is working on his Home. She is a popular speaker third book, Black Apple: A History who gives public lectures at sev- Page 2 UF Intersections Faculty Spotlight- Dr. Ibram X Kendi A Conversation with Dr. Ibram X Kendi By Ernesto Ramirez Dr. Ibram [EEE-brum] Xolani [ZO-LAA-NEE] Kendi [KEN-DEE] at tained his bachelors degree from Florida A&M University where he studied Journalism and African American Studies. While working as a journalist on the field, he was interested in writing about issues that affected the African American community. It wasn’t until he arrived at Temple University that he saw the potential for being a professor and writing about African American issues in a more substantive way. Dr. Kendi earned his doctoral degree in African American Studies from Temple University in 2010. He continues his work as an assistant professor of contemporary African American history at the University of Florida (UF). Dr. Kendi decided to become an African American Studies professor for a combina- Dr. Ibram Kendi tion of reasons. The foremost reason was because he wanted to have the opportunity to learn, teach, and write about the experience of people of African descent. Dr. Kendi was interested is analyzing the effects of racism and racial discrimination on peoples and nations. Another reason he wanted to become an African American Studies professor is because of the history and mission of African American Studies. One of the features that makes African American Studies distinct from most other disciplines is the tradition of protest, student activism, and the black power movement upon which it is founded. Because of this tradition, African American Studies embodies a socially responsible ethos that strives to undermine, rather than maintain, the legacy of racism and oppression of people of African descent within the historical context of the US. Dr. Kendi was excited to become part of this tradition. Stamped from the Beginning, Dr. Kendi's second book, is a work that arose out of a project that had its origin in African American Studies. He wrote the book because as he continued leaning, reading, and writing, he saw gaps in the literature and realized that a book that chronicled the history of racist ideas had never been written before. In essence, Stamped from the Beginning is a work that traces the roots of racist ideas in American society from their origin to the present day. Contrary to the belief that we line in a post-racial society, in this work Dr. Kendi documents how racist thought has continued albeit in dif- ferent, more subtle, and sophisticated forms. One of the key ideas that Dr. Kendi examines in this work is that of scientific racism, or the ways in which science has been used as a means to establish racist ideas in American life. For instance, although biological racism was an idea that was discounted in the 1960’s, racism has continued through assimilationist, segregationist, and anti-racist ideational forms. Through his work Dr. Kendi seeks to provide the tools necessary to counter the influence of these anti-Black racist ideas and their continued influence over American ways of life. This is why, as the student founders of the 1960’s black power movements came to realize, African American Studies programs are so vitally important. According to Dr. Kendi, African American Studies programs are important because they allow students to learn about topics and issues that have not traditionally been taught. The knowledge derived therefrom can be extraordinarily useful in whichever professional endeavor one choses to take part. Whether a major or minor, students can market themselves as having knowledge about the complex racial issues and ideas that have had a profound impact on American ways of life. In a society which is increasingly more diverse, having the capacity to navigate through complex social interactions is a valuable asset to have. According to Dr. Kendi, African American Stud- ies programs are important because they allow students to learn about topics and issues that have not traditionally been taught. The knowledge derived therefrom can be extraordinarily useful in whichever professional endeavor one choses to take part. Whether a major or minor, students can market themselves as having knowledge about the complex racial issues and ideas that have had a profound impact on American ways of life. In a society which is increasingly more diverse, having the capacity to navigate through complex social interactions is a valuable asset to have. Page 3 UF Intersections Alumni Spotlight– Breanne Palmer Ms. Breanne Palmer will receive a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University School of Law on May 23, 2016. While enrolled there, Breanne was the Development & Diversity Editor for The Georgetown Law Journal. She earned a minor in African American Studies and a major in Political Science from the University of Florida in May 2013.

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