Department of African & African American Studies
The Office for Faculty Advancement has awarded seed grants to 14 faculty-led projects exploring new ideas and expanding existing initiatives to promote an equitable and inclusive academic environment at Duke. The theme for this cycle was "Confronting Racism and Bias: Fostering an Inclusive Community." Faculty Advancement Seed Grants provide a financial head start for novel faculty development initiatives within academic units. 2021-22 Faculty Advancement Seed Grants Art, Art History and Visual Studies Anti-Racist Pedagogy… read more about Seed Grants Help Faculty Lead the Way in Confronting Racism and Bias »
Duke senior Tatayana Richardson will deliver a sermon on God helping people find peace in turbulent times as part of Duke Chapel’s online worship service at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 21. Richardson, a double major in religion and African American studies, has been selected to be this year’s Duke Chapel student preacher. She will work with chapel ministers and Divinity School faculty members to refine the sermon she submitted. “As someone thinking about ordination, preaching a sermon has always been something that I have… read more about Senior’s Duke Chapel Sermon March 21 to Seek God Amid Suffering »
Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke Professor of African & African American Studies, was quoted in an essay at The Undefeated about Tinashe's cover of the famous Chaka Khan song "I'm Every Woman." read more about Tinashe’s Cover of ‘I’m Every Woman’ Brings the R&B Anthem to a New Generation »
In Boston, the median white household owns $247,500 in wealth – assets minus debts. In the same city, the median Black household owns a mere $8 in wealth. That’s right, eight dollars. The same pattern repeats itself across the United States, where a yawning wealth gap separates Black and white Americans. Just how did that vast chasm come about? And how might we respond to it? Those questions are at the heart of the new six-part series, “The Arc of Justice,” a special production of the Sanford School of Public… read more about ‘Arc of Justice’ Launches New Series on Inequality »
An excerpt of Going There: Black Visual Satire, the new book by Richard J. Powell, John Spencer Bassett Distinguished Professor of Art and Art History and African & African American Studies, was recently published by Artnet News. read more about How Should We Understand the Shocking Use of Stereotypes in the Work of Historical Black Artists? It’s About the Satirical Tradition of ‘Going There’ »
Richard J. Powell knows every artist, critic and art world star featured in the new HBO documentary “Black Art: In the Absence of Light.” He was a friend of the late art historian, curator and artist David Driskell, whose 1976 exhibition, Two Centuries of Black American Art, inspired the 90-minute special. Powell also knows a thing or two about correcting outdated narratives of art history. As author, curator, art historian and professor, Powell has dedicated his career to rewriting the cannon to include Black artists who… read more about Richard Powell on Where Black Art Goes From Here »
This month, we present a collection of 10 Duke-authored books detailing the history of Black life in America. While this is not a comprehensive list of all Duke scholarship on Black history, it is intended to be an introduction to the multifaceted work of Duke scholars in public policy, history, documentary studies, religious studies, African and African-American studies, cultural anthropology, sociology, art, art history, and visual studies. These books, along with many others, are available at Duke… read more about 10 Duke-Authored Books on Black History »
![South Africa After the Rainbow [POLICY 360 PODCAST]](/sites/aaas.duke.edu/files/styles/news_page_thumbnail/public/externals/0bb5cfea7e72bbaa01c0ffd6782c37fd.jpg?itok=_t-TnOan)
When Professor Anne-Maria Makhulu returned to South Africa to start her research in the late 1990s, the South African Truth & Reconciliation Commission was just beginning to start its work. She says that while the newly established transparency was important for understanding the workings of the government during apartheid, the commission's function was largely symbolic. "It concretely didn't address the needs of the vast majority of South Africans who had suffered forms of systemic and structural violence, not the… read more about South Africa After the Rainbow [POLICY 360 PODCAST] »
Samuel Daly, an assistant professor of African & African American Studies, International Comparative Studies and History, used his expertise on the history of policing in Nigeria to provide an analysis of the recent protests against the country's Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). read more about Nigerians Got Their Abusive SARS Police Force Abolished – But Elation Soon Turned to Frustration »
Mark Anthony Neal was waiting for his order at a restaurant one afternoon in 2011 when a man he didn’t know approached him. “He said, ‘I just saw you on TV talking to Cornel West. That was so cool,’” recalled Neal, the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies. Neal spoke with West, a philosopher and political activist, in Raleigh for the first season of his webcast “Left of Black,” a web series featuring interviews with Black Studies scholars. The interview debuted on YouTube… read more about 300 Episodes Later, ‘Left of Black’ Celebrates 10 Years »
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies Mark Anthony Neal wrote about Pattie LaBelle for T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Neal argued that she is the embodiment of success, the personification of warmth and an artist who changed the landscape of American music. read more about Patti LaBelle, the Doyenne of Philadelphia Soul »
William A. Darity (Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, Economics and African and African American Studies), Malachi Hacohen (Professor of History) and Adam Hollowell (Adjunct Instructor of Education) co-wrote an article for Inside Higher Ed about Duke's new inequality studies minor, arguing that students, professors and administrators need a deeper understanding of how human disparities have developed, why they persist and how they evolve over time. read more about The Importance of Inequality Studies »
Kerry Haynie, an associate professor of Political Science and African & African American Studies, co-wrote an article for the Washington Post describing his new research with Beth Reingold and Kirsten Widner, which found that "women of color are the most likely to address the needs of multiple marginalized groups with their legislative portfolios, but Latinas and Black women approach such issues somewhat differently." read more about Women of Color Won Congressional Seats in Record Numbers. How Will They Legislate? »
A chemistry and computer science major seeking to further explore solutions to climate change. A first-generation college student who studies the connection between race, history and educational policy. An African and African American Studies major who translated her research into service helping others in Durham overcome racial barriers to housing and education. These are the recipients of this year’s Faculty Scholars Awards, the highest bestowed by Duke faculty on undergraduates and honors students for a record of… read more about Three Undergraduates Named Faculty Scholars for Outstanding Records of Research »
Sandy Darity, Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, African & African American Studies and Economics, explains his research on reparations in this article at GQ. read more about How Much Is Owed to Afro-descendants in the Americas? »
Here are recently published and forthcoming books by Duke authors, from September and October: Marc Zvi Brettler, co-author: “The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently” Annotated Edition (HarperOne, Oct. 27, 2020) Avshalom Caspi and Terrie E. Moffitt, co-authors: “The Origins of You: How Childhood Shapes Later Life” (Harvard University Press) Samuel Fury Childs Daly: “A History of the Republic of Biafra: Law, Crime,… read more about New Great Reads from Duke Authors »
As part of its event series tgiFHI, the Franklin Humanities Institute is conducting interviews with its faculty speakers in order to familiarize broader audiences with the diversity of research approaches in the humanities, arts, and interpretive social sciences at Duke University. Dr. Jasmine Nichole Cobb is the Bacca Foundation Associate Professor of African & African American Studies and of Art, Art History and Visual Studies. She is also a co-director of the “From Slavery to Freedom” (FS2F) Humanities Lab at the… read more about Meet Your Humanities Faculty: Jasmine Nichole Cobb »
Kim Cato is hanging up her medical scrubs to play detective this summer. In her imagination, that is. Cato has read “State of Onion,” a suspense novel about a White House chef hunted by an assassin, and she plans to read “The Scent of Rain and Lightning,” which is about a woman who investigates her father’s murder 23 years later. “Mysteries take me out of this world we’re in right now,” said Cato, a clinical nurse for Duke Gastroenterology. “I’m not usually right, but I love trying to figure out the question of… read more about Books to Capture Your Attention This Summer »
Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies, joined PBS NewsHour to discuss the history and significance of Juneteenth. Watch the video at the PBS website. read more about What Is Juneteenth? »
In a lunch-hour conversation on Friday, June 5, the Kenan Institute for Ethics’ signature series, The Ethics of Now from Home broke from its weekly webinar schedule to quickly respond to George Floyd’s murder, racism, police violence, and public demonstrations happening all across the nation. In the conversation, “Racism, Police Violence, and Protests,” series host Adriane Lentz-Smith (Associate Professor of History), was joined by William A. “Sandy” Darity Jr. (Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public… read more about Racism, Police Violence, and Protests »
Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies, joined WRAL to discuss protests against police violence and systemic racism. Watch the video at WRAL. read more about Duke Professor Discusses Protests, Police and What Happens Next »
Even with seemingly convincing video evidence, prosecutors may struggle to convict a former Minnesota police officer charged with the third-degree murder of a man he was restraining, a Duke law scholar said Tuesday. Duke law professor James Coleman Jr. said the case against Derek Chauvin may come down to a jury’s interpretation of precisely what caused the death of George Floyd, who Chauvin restrained with a knee hold for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin is white, Floyd was black, and the incident led to mass race protests in… read more about Duke Scholars Examine Protests and Police Conduct »
The “middle class” can be hard to define. A new report from Duke University suggests that for African Americans it’s simply hard to find — and that’s in the best of circumstances. The paper from researchers at Duke’s Samuel DuBois Cook Center for Social Equity finds that when using wealth as the defining criteria to demarcate class status, the middle class of black Americans is proportionately much smaller than the white middle class. “Even before the current pandemic exacerbated racial inequities, black Americans in the… read more about Middle class not a level playing field for blacks, new Duke research finds »
Congratulations to the following student award winners from Duke University units in 2020. African & African American Studies John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Elizabeth DuBard Grantland Karla FC Holloway Award for University Service: Beza Gebremariam Mary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Jenna Clayborn Walter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Kayla Lynn Corredera-Wells Art, Art History & Visual Studies… read more about Student Honors and Laurels for 2020 »
A massive infusion of government cash and other resources is needed to help keep families afloat during the pandemic, a trio of Duke scholars said Tuesday. The recently approved $2 trillion stimulus bill won’t come close to solving the problems facing America’s working families, particularly African Americans, children and people who rely on government assistance to eat, they said during a web-based press conference. Here are excerpts: ON WHAT BLACK FAMILIES FACE RIGHT NOW William “Sandy” Darity,… read more about Duke Experts on How to Help Struggling Families in The Pandemic »
Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke Professor of African & African American Studies, euologizes famed musician Bill Withers as a man who "eschewed the hit machine for emotional truth." Read more at NPR. read more about Bill Withers' Legacy Is So Much Deeper Than The Hits We All Know »