Black Studies at Amherst College

Black Studies at Amherst College Department of Black Studies, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 This emphasis remains a central feature of the Department today.

The Department of Black Studies at Amherst was founded in the early 1970s in response to the demand from students and concerned faculty for a space at the college in which issues of race and the cultural connections between Africa and the Black Diaspora could be explored. From the outset, the faculty members who implemented the Department's program saw their work as cross-cultural and interdiscipl

inary. Black Studies faculty and students come from a range of ethnic and racial backgrounds. They bring to the classroom a diverse array of experiences, traditions and disciplinary strengths. Each regular Black Studies faculty member holds a joint appointment in Black Studies and another department. At present, these include Religion, Philosophy, English, Fine Arts and History. In addition, the Department's offerings are augmented by courses taught in Sociology and Anthropology, Music, Political Science, Economics, and Theater and Dance. Core Faculty:

Rowland Abiodun
Stefan Bradley
Rhonda Cobham-Sander
Solsiree del Moral
John E. Drabinski
Elizabeth Herbin-Triant
Jallicia Jolly
Jared Loggins
Russell Lohse
Hilary Moss
Watufani Poe
Khary Polk
Olufemi Vaughan

Affiliated faculty include: Carol Bailey, Utku Balaban, Amrita Basu, David Delaney, Aneeka Henderson, Michael Kunichika, Ron Lembo, Olabode Omojola, Marisa Parham, Sean Redding, Jessica Reyes, Jason Robinson, Jude Sandy and Adam Sitze. Black Studies majors learn in many ways. For a start, all majors take an introductory course that familiarizes them with some of the central debates and problems within the field: Is there such a thing as a "Black" experience? How African is African-American culture? What kinds of theories can we advance to explain the relationship between race and a range of social and economic indicators? How have scholars traditionally understood the connections between Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas? How do issues of gender affect issues of race? What new insights do postmodern and postcolonial theories offer on all these subjects? Usually two members of the Department teach this course together; other Department members often contribute guest lectures. Many of the thematic and disciplinary questions raised in the introductory course are expanded upon in other courses. Majors must take at least two courses on African, African-American and Caribbean/Latin American themes. Majors must also ensure that these courses are drawn from at least three distinct disciplines. Perhaps most importantly, all majors take at least one course that requires them to examine the links among various Black cultures. Offerings in this category have included a course on cross-cultural psychology, a course that compares the various ways in which childhood figures in Caribbean and African literary texts, and a course that examines the historical and cultural significance of the Atlantic region as the crucible for the creation of a dialogue among Black cultures.

Our very own, Dr. Stefan Bradley, at Elms College’s 9th Annual Black Experience Summit.
03/05/2026

Our very own, Dr. Stefan Bradley, at Elms College’s 9th Annual Black Experience Summit.

Join us as we kick off Women's History Month with Candice Hoyes in Concert on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 7 p.m. in the ...
03/02/2026

Join us as we kick off Women's History Month with Candice Hoyes in Concert on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 7 p.m. in the CHI Think Tank, Aliki Perrotti & Seth Frank Lyceum. Candice Hoyes is an award-winning soprano and multimedia artist. Her music floats across the African Diaspora, with "mesmerizing, moody" songs imparting histories “surprising, layered, elemental, and deep” (BOMB Magazine). In honor of Women's History Month, Hoyes will present a chamber recital that explores the unique contributions and fraught legacy of trailblazing Black librarian Belle da Costa Greene, who trained at Amherst College's Summer School of Library Economy in 1900.

The second Reproductive Justice Futurisms (RJF) Think Tank will take place this week, March 4–6, across Smith and Amhers...
03/02/2026

The second Reproductive Justice Futurisms (RJF) Think Tank will take place this week, March 4–6, across Smith and Amherst Colleges.

Please join the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies for our Annual Black History Month Lecture. This year...
02/16/2026

Please join the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies for our Annual Black History Month Lecture. This year, the lecture will be delivered by Prof. Stefan Bradley, the Charles Hamilton Houston 1915 Professor of Black Studies and History at Amherst College. Come and find out what lessons Black youth protests and organizing in Ferguson, Missouri can teach us about our society's challenges today.

Date: Monday, February 23, 2026 in the Amherst Room (10th Floor, Campus Center)

Dinner will be provided!

Lecture Title: Rescuing Democracy: Black Youth in Ferguson and Freedom

Description: Responding to the August 2014 police shooting death of their peer, Michael Brown, Jr., young Black people in Ferguson, Missouri showed the world what democracy looks like. They organized and protested to expose racial capitalism and the blatant violations of their Constitutional rights. By shutting down roadways and disrupting comfortable life in the St. Louis Metropolitan area, society's most marginalized members shook the status quo. They threatened decision-makers that if they didn't get their freedom, they would shut down the system. The efforts those young demonstrators made on the ground and in the political sphere provide a model for the moden moment. As Americans face a rise in state violence against and abuse of the most vulnerable, they should learn from Ferguson, USA.

To attend this event, please RSVP here (this helps us to have an accurate count for ordering food): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1c-qKK6DnjBNe1ICPhlLFQRZz3xj1QrS4RzgP5Tjf0BA/edit

Copies of Dr. Bradley's book will also be available for purchase!

Please join us for an event, "WE REFUSE: Understanding Black Responses to White Supremacy" on Tuesday, February 17, 2026...
02/09/2026

Please join us for an event, "WE REFUSE: Understanding Black Responses to White Supremacy" on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at the CHI Think Tank, Amherst College, Aliki Perrotti & Seth Frank Lyceum, 197 South Pleasant St., Amherst, MA.

Please join us as we celebrate Dr. Nina Simone's birthday on Thursday, February 19, 2026 at Amherst College in the Black...
02/09/2026

Please join us as we celebrate Dr. Nina Simone's birthday on Thursday, February 19, 2026 at Amherst College in the Black Studies Reading Room (Cooper 101), 86 College St., Amherst, MA.

We hope to see you there!

Please join us on October 16 at 5:15 for an encounter with Ken Bugul, one of the most powerful voices in African and Fra...
10/09/2025

Please join us on October 16 at 5:15 for an encounter with Ken Bugul, one of the most powerful voices in African and Francophone literature and one of the 1st and most prominent voices in African feminism. Author of The Abandoned Baobab — a groundbreaking and deeply introspective novel that redefined African feminist thought — Ken Bugul has long stood as a fearless chronicler of postcolonial identity, womanhood, and the intimate negotiations between Africa and its engagement with Euro-Modernity.

Her work, spanning fiction, essays, and public intellectual engagement, has inspired generations of writers and thinkers across the continent and the diaspora. Both provocative and tender, Ken Bugul writes from the heart of Africa’s existential journey, offering a vision of liberation rooted in complexity, courage, and truth.

The conversation, convened by Dr. Monika Brodnicka (Black Studies) will be facilitated by Professor Nadine Machikou, the first woman to become a full professor of political science in Francophone Africa and currently the Loewenstein Fellow at Amherst College.

Come learn from and celebrate a writer whose life and work continue to expand our understanding of freedom, womanhood, and the human condition.

Join us on Thursday, October 9 at 4:30 p.m. at Cooper House (86 College St.) in the Black Studies Reading Room as we cel...
09/29/2025

Join us on Thursday, October 9 at 4:30 p.m. at Cooper House (86 College St.) in the Black Studies Reading Room as we celebrate Prof. Bradley on the release of his new book, If We Don't Get It., A People's History of Ferguson.

You are invited to attend a public lecture by Dr. Tracie Canada (Duke University), "How Black Football Players Tackle Th...
09/29/2025

You are invited to attend a public lecture by Dr. Tracie Canada (Duke University), "How Black Football Players Tackle Their Everyday" today, Monday, September 29 at 5 p.m. in the CHI Think Tank (The Aliki Perroti & Seth Frank Lyceum, Amherst College, 197 South Pleasant Street)

We hope you can join us!

Join us on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 for a riveting documentary film screening and panel discussion of Jamaica’s latest Da...
04/16/2025

Join us on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 for a riveting documentary film screening and panel discussion of Jamaica’s latest Dancehall documentary, "Out There Without Fear." Hear from the native Jamaican filmmaker, Joelle Powe, and
dance choreographer, Latonya Style, who will be flying in from Kingston, Jamaica. Afterwards enjoy a Dancehall dance tutorial for all levels. Join us and experience the raw Jamaican energy, creativity, and cultural pride.

Between 2 Mammoths: Special Edition with Rhonda Cobham-Sander - Season 3, Episode 10Ahead of her retirement and before t...
04/10/2025

Between 2 Mammoths: Special Edition with Rhonda Cobham-Sander - Season 3, Episode 10
Ahead of her retirement and before the first Annual Rhonda Cobham-Sander Lecture on April 16th, President Michael Elliott sat down with Professor Cobham-Sander, Black Studies and English, for a conversation ranging from her first impressions, 39 years ago, of Amherst College to what it's like to have her former students return as successful alumni.

Ahead of her retirement and before the first Annual Rhonda Cobham-Sander Lecture on April 16th, President Michael Elliott sat down with Professor Cobham-Sand...

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