EKU African and African American Studies

Happy Juneteenth. AFA spreads more light on the Black experience. Please consider obtaining a minor or certificate. Contact me at [email protected]

Join me in congratulating the following students who will graduate this spring with a minor or certificate in African and African American studies. We can’t wait to see how they will improve our world.

What a great display of scholarship by EKU students taking AFA classes! Thanks to Rusty Carpenter for giving these students the space to showcase their creativity and to the AFA faculty for mentoring them with care and intelligence.

Two EKU students served as panelists in our AFA colloquium series yesterday. One grew up in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and another in Kenya's small Kalenjin running community. They shared their heartwarming and thankful stories of how EKU offered them the opportunities to thrive in America and how they are making a difference in the lives of this community.

Please consider taking classes in African and African American studies in the fall of 2024. If you have previously taken one or more AFA classes and have not declared to obtain a minor or certificate in AFA, please consider doing so now by using the new electronic Major Change form found on the Registrar’s website. Form 105 has been included in the new form. You will begin the process by going to Change of Major Custom Login (eku.edu) Under forms you will choose “Change Major”. The form will populate with the student’s information. You will then complete any changes you wish and submit the form electronically. If you have any questions, please contact the director, Dr. Ogechi Anyanwu, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 859-622-1375.

Tickets are now available for Stephen M. R. Covey’s May 15th keynote on Trust & Inspire, co-hosted by Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education & Eastern Kentucky University. Learn more & claim tickets at https://www.eku.edu/fctl/1013-2/. Tickets are free & open to the public.

Last night our EKU students organized a great event to celebrate black excellence and Black History Month.

HPRS OPEN HOUSE YESTERDAY WAS WELL ATTENDED

Join us as two EKU international students from Kenya and Morrocco share their inspiring stories. They are making both EKU and their countries proud.

Singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist Miriam Makeba was fondly known as Mama Africa. She popularized African music around the world during her exile from South Africa because of her fight for social justice during the Apartheid in the country. Makeba’s legend is celebrated in French singer, Jain’s Makeba (2015) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Q_lhgGANc that gained repopularization in 2023 on Tiktok. - Dr. Nicola Mason is Professor and Chair of the Department of Teaching, Learning, & Educational Leadership. Her research includes the use of Sub-Saharan pre-colonial children’s songs and games in the elementary classroom.

A fascinating presentation today at the Center for Africana Engagement by a group of talented black artists to celebrate Black History Month. Thanks to everyone who made the event successful, especially Gwen Graham.

Thanks to our panelists, Drs. Patrick B. Litanga, Daniel Joseph, and Josh Farrington, for this afternoon's fascinating Black History Month discussion. Thanks to our engaged students in attendance and CIEGE for hosting us.

Senior Sociology student, Jaelyn Barker, is currently conducting an anonymous online survey for her Honors thesis analyzing the influence of race on college students’ sense of belonging on their college campuses. The responses cannot be traced back to the participants and the survey should only take 10 minutes. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Thanks!

https://eku.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0IjqdbOqIWXqx94

Frankfort Feb. 27 Day Trip Sign-up
CIEGE's Global Leaders Unite program is hosting a day trip to Frankfort, Kentucky's Capitol. Please complete the form to sign up for the Trip on February 27, 2024. The group will attend committee hearings, talk with legislators, and explore the grounds. Spots are limited for the day trip, you will be contacted with further details to confirm your registration for the event. Priority is given to GLU program participants.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfp4SqBBaXjvZBU8vpbotkpiT-pvWB5R6UVeO4EBdswt3M2tA/viewform

Hear from Dr. Anastasia Curwood, Chair of History and Director of the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies at the University of Kentucky and Dr. M. Brandon McCormack, Chair of the Department of Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville discuss not only the history and relevance of the discipline within and outside of academia but also the relevance and threats to its longevity.