College students were very instrumental in helping to develop African American Studies as a new academic field of study. Through their activism, additional course offerings on African American history and culture, an increase in faculty diversity, and a new Department and curriculum spread throughout the country. Why do you think that students were so important to the movement to change academia? What were students hoping for? Why were they successful? How do students continue to influence change in this country? Any specific examples of more recent student activism? Have you ever been engaged in activism or a social cause as a student? How?
Discussion 2
How has race, color, and culture influenced difference in political power, economic wealth, and social status in America since the first arrival of Africans in Jamestown in 1619? And, more recently, how has this difference complicated the African American experience and the study of their communities?