Royall House Trip 2026
On Friday, September 18, Professor Paula Austin took AABDS majors/minors and students from her Black Women’s History in the US to the historic Royall House and Slave Quarters Museum in Medford, MA. We stood in the spaces where enslaved people lived, slept, and worked; learned about the history of the Loyalist Royall family; and about […]
Professor Saida Grundy Wins NABJ Award
Congratulations to Professor Saida Grundy for winning the 2026 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Award for National Commentary/Essay! Her winning essay is titled Trump is Terrified of Black Culture. But Not for the Reasons You Think. Grundy receives her award at 2:45:50.
Professor Joyce Hope-Scott on Chains to Change
To shed light on Black history that is often left out of the dominant narrative during the USA’s 250th year post-independence, The Loop Lab and GBH News Rooted have created the series Chains to Change. Hosted by Paris Alston, the series discusses the Black people in Boston that fought for freedom, changed the course of […]
Professor Saida Grundy Publishes Piece on Recent Howard Disenrollment
You can read Professor Saida Grundy’s new piece on Howard’s recent disenrollment of 500 incoming freshmen and the salience of HBCUs for Black youth here.
Professor Saida Grundy’s New Piece Published in The Guardian
On Sunday, Professor Saida Grundy had her piece on the white working class’s voting patterns, the American Project, and the “psychological wages of whiteness” published in The Guardian. You can read it here.
Congratulations to Professor Chude-Sokei on Being Awarded the 2026 Teshome H. Gabriel Award!
We are proud to announce and congratulate Professor Louis Chude-Sokei on being awarded the prestigious 2026 Teshome H. Gabriel Award for Distinguished Research and Scholarship in Africana Studies! For more information on the reward, please click here. To read up on Professor Chude-Sokei’s impressive academic achievements, please click here for more information!
Nothing @ BU with Autumn Knight
On April 9, the African American and Black Diaspora Studies Program hosted performance artist Autumn Knight at the Howard Thurman Center. Her performance, entitled Nothing #35, centered around the lively reading of her list that explored “dolce far niente” (the sweetness of doing nothing) and attention economies. As promised, her incorporation of anecdotes about her […]
Congratulations to AABDS Administrative Manager Cady Steinberg!
We are proud to announce that in recognition of her distinguished service to Boston University, AABDS Administrative Manager Cady Steinberg has been awarded the prestigous 2026 John S. Perkins Award for Distinguished Service!
Congratulations to Professor Guillory!
A Big Congratulations to Professor and AABDS Director Margarita Guillory on her promotion from Associate Professor to Professor!
Professor Saida Grundy Publishes Op-Ed to Honor Jesse Jackson
Read this powerful piece in The Guardian written by Sadia Grundy about Jesse Jackson and how his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns reshaped the Democratic Party. It’s a strong reminder of how his Rainbow Coalition and unapologetic progressivism helped redefine political inclusion and paved the way for future leaders. Click here to read the article.