Africana Studies Chair Reflects on 40 years and Experience at Rutgers
Where were you and what were you doing about 40 years ago?
I was completing my undergraduate education in sociology at City College of New York and preparing for my graduate work at Columbia University in social welfare.
I was a civil rights activist of the 1960s and early 1970s. From that experience I became aware of the people around the world and how they were coping with issues of civil rights, hunger, women's issues and so on. All of that was a part of my development.
In the early 1970s I accompanied Shirley Graham De Bois to Ghana. I taught in Africa. Later I obtained my second masters in political science in NYU and conducted my doctoral work at CUNY graduate cneter in political science.
My perspectives on globalization were formed by the people of my community in Brooklyn. Danny Joe who lived upstairs from me came from Niger, Aurther Schomburg lived right across the street, and my next-door neighbors were from Puerto Rico. We still keep in touch and get together. These relationships inspired me to look beyond a narrow view of the world.
When did you join the department?
In 1992, Gerald Davis, who was the chair of the department, recruited me from Indiana University. At the time, the idea of joining Rutgers' Africana Studies department was exciting because of its multidsciplinary approach. The driving force behind the department was the commitment to focusing on African, the African diaspora and African American to really get a blending of Africana on the world stage.
How has the department changed since you joined the team?
What is in the future for the department?
What are your most memorable moments?
Why do you think Africana Studies is important?
What was happening 40 years ago that provided a ripe time to begin an Africana Studies department?
What is Africana Studies?
Is it still important to have an Africana Studies department today?
Media Contact: Nicole Pride
732-932-7084, ext. 610
E-mail: npride@ur.rutgers.edu