Africana Studies Department Celebrates First Homecoming
University
Reporter
ECOS Researchers Examine Environmental Damage from the World Trade Center
Attacks
Noam Chomsky Speaks at UMass Boston’s Human Rights Forum
State Budget Cuts Mean Spending Reductions, First Fee Increase in Five
Years
Campus Strides Forward with Technology
Clark Taylor Retires: Son Jeff Taylor’s Gift Establishes Technology
Center in Father’s Name
Benchmarks Analyst Clayton-Matthews Tracks Massachusetts Economy
Best Practices: Student Support Services
English Professor Betsy Klimasmith Receives NEH Fellowship
Africana Studies Department Celebrates First Homecoming
Compston Biography of Earl Warren, “Justice for All”
Philosophy Professor Examines Race and Racism
New Book on Latino Politics in Massachusetts
Greater Boston Broadband Network Comes Into Focus
Steelwork Begins on New Campus Center
by Leigh DuPuy
Faculty, students, and alumni from the Africana Studies Department came together to celebrate the program’s 32-year anniversary and participate in a new mentoring program at the first Africana Homecoming Celebration held at United South End Settlements House on November 30. According to Department chair Robert Johnson Jr, the location, the site of the oldest social service agency in New England, was the perfect setting for the program’s theme of academy and community.
During the program’s opening reception, more than 40 alumni and students met, shared insights, and asked questions about career and educational opportunities together in the newly initiated Africana Mentoring Program, created to pair alumni with majors for advice and guidance.
The program also gave alumni the chance to reconnect with the department and its faculty members while learning about some of the department’s new programs, including the Caribbean Institute. Professor Marc Prou gave an update on the new physical base where students and faculty members from UMass Boston and other universities can conduct research pertaining to Caribbean development and work to create a planned journal highlighting the findings.
Sarah Ann Shaw, community activist and former reporter for WBZ-TV, gave the keynote address,“Balancing Profession and Community: The Challenges of the Twenty-First Century.” Shaw is well-known for her contributions to journalism and community service, having received the City of Boston African American Achievement Award in 1996, as well as awards from the National Association for Black Journalists, the NAACP, and the Museum of Afro American history.
The Africana Studies Department offers a multi- and interdisciplinary program that examines the history, social life, and culture of those of African descent across the world.