Spotlights

Dr. Debra Smith

Associate Professor of Africana Studies

Research includes African-American in communication and popular culture, minority images in media, minority health disparities, and developing teaching strategies that incorporate popular culture, language, and power.

Dr. Dorothy Ruiz-Smith

Akinwumi Ogundiran

Currently carrying out a major archaeological study of one of Africa’s largest empires in the early modern period—the Oyo Empire.

Dr. Danielle Boaz

Lawyer and a historian

Students can expect to explore topics like rap lyrics in criminal prosecutions, racial violence and cultural appropriation.

Dr. Oscar de la Torre

Civil Rights Activist

Teenage experiences started lifetime of research into racial inequality and racial identities.

Dr. Crystal Eddins

How black communities could come together to make things better

I came to Africana Studies through interest in activism, social change and social movements, and collective agency in black communities.

Dr. Honore Missihoun

Black Atlantic History, Critical postcolonial subaltern communication, critical pedagogy.

I came to Africana Studies for deeper research into the Black Atlantic History.

Dr. Veronica Nmoma-Robinson

I accept no excuses only results.

I was raised by parents to become an accomplished educator in the field of Africana Studies.

Tanure Ojaide

He received a bachelor's degree in English, and Syracuse University, where he received both the M.A. in Creative Writing and Ph.D. in English.