Boston University

African American Studies

An illustrated image of a head with a path coming out of the ear, and many vibrant colors and shapes exploding in a large aesthetic design

SPECIAL ISSUE: BU RESEARCH

“When People Don’t Have Resources, They Still Have Imagination”

May 16, 2022

Photo of Louis Chude-Sokei, an older black man wearing a dark blur shirt and black shoes sits with hands folded in front of him on the steps of a brick building. A red sign on the building reads "Boston University College of Arts and Sciences; African American Studies Program"

New Major

African American and Black Diaspora Studies Is BU’s Newest Major

April 25, 2022

Photo of Lynae Vanee Bogues sitting in a dark blue velvet chair in front of small, potted palm trees with a stack of books by Black authors sitting in a neat pile on a white side table next to her. A young black woman with shoulder length faux locs and a multicolored blouse and bright yellow skirt sits with fingers crossed in front of her chin as she poses seriously for the camera.

Arts & Culture

Lynae Vanee Bogues Sheds Light on Often Overlooked Black History in Her IGTV Series Parking Lot Pimpin’

April 11, 2022

Louis Chude Sokei sits in front of a gray background in a green shirt

Race

University Lecture: Louis Chude-Sokei Aims to Challenge Conventional Narratives about Race and Technology

March 22, 2022

photo of André de Quadros, choir director and teacher of music in the BU prison education program, looking at the camera with a stoic expression. He wears black, rectangular glasses and a light blue collared shirt.

Social Justice

Human Rights Activist and Music Educator André de Quadros Recognized for Career Dedicated to Justice and the Arts

November 29, 2021

Literature

Trent Masiki’s Afroethnic Renewal: Six Afro-Latino Memoirists You Should Know

September 15, 2021

Black and white photo of Louis Armstrong, center, joins in his own joke over an old jazz story with trumpeter Bobby Hackett and Newport Jazz Festival impresario George Wein, at left, at Newport, Rhode Island on July 10, 1970. Hackett holds a trumpet, Armstrong is mid-laugh, and all the men smile.

Obituaries

BU Alum George Wein, Founder of Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, Dies at 95

September 14, 2021

Photo inside the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill, it has wooden pews and a pulpit at the front, with balcony seating on the sides and a chandelier with electric lights.

Things-to-do

To Do Today: Visit the Museum of African American History

July 21, 2021

History

What Is Juneteenth?

June 15, 2021

Portrait of Louis Chude-Sokei

Books

Louis Chude-Sokei Writes of Navigating “Multiple Blacknesses” in Floating in a Most Peculiar Way

April 13, 2021

A photo of Louis Chude-Sokei giving a lecture in the classroom

Academics

African American Studies Expands Course Offerings in Response to Rising Student Demand

February 12, 2021

A portrait photo of Margarita Guillory

Africana Religion

From Secrecy to #WitchTok: How the Internet Is Demystifying Africana Religions

November 30, 2020

Portrait of Ibram X. Kendi from Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World list

Accolades

Ibram X. Kendi Named to Time100 List of Most Influential People

September 22, 2020

A photo of homemade chocolate no-churn ice cream

Weekender

The Weekender: July 30 to August 2

July 30, 2020

Portait of Ibram X. Kendi in a gray suit with his hands on a desk in front of him. Kendi is a leading historian and author of the bestselling 'How to be an Antiracist.'

Accolades

Ibram X. Kendi Awarded BU’s Andrew W. Mellon Professorship in the Humanities

July 1, 2020

The sunset reflects off the Vertex Pharmaceuticals headquarters building, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017 in Boston's Seaport. A sign on the building reads 'Vertex' in purple. The top dome of a building is seen in the bottom left foreground.

Center for Antiracist Research

Vertex Gives $1.5 Million to New BU Center for Antiracist Research

June 25, 2020

Photo of a computer with speakers from Boston University's Day of Collective Engagement to Reflect on American Racism, hosted on Zoom. On screen, Ibram X. Kendi, Paula Austin, Louis Chude-Sokei, and Saida Grundy as they speak during the opening plenary.

Racism

Pain, Anger, and Hope as BU Comes Together to Talk Race and Racism

June 24, 2020

Composite image of book covers of the following books: Lucy, by Jamaica Kincaid (1990), Aye, and Gomorrah, by Samuel R. Delany (1967), The Women, by Hilton Als (1996), Black No More, George S. Schuyler (1931), The Wine of Astonishment, by Earl Lovelace (1982, Corregidora, by Gayl Jones (1975)

Must-Reads by Black authors

For #BlackoutBestsellerList Movement, Six Must-Read Books

June 17, 2020

Photo of the cover of "How to Be An Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi resting on a grainy piece of dark wood.

Antiracism

“I Believe That Change Is Possible”—Q&A with Ibram X. Kendi

June 4, 2020

A photo of John Thornton and Linda Heywood

Research Accolades

Two BU Scholars of African American History Elected to AAAS

April 29, 2020

Two BU Scholars of African American History Elected to AAAS