Boston University

African American Studies

Elections

What Motivates Black Women Voters?

July 20, 2026

Photo: townes, a Black woman, sits in a church pew wearing a colorful button up, her arm slung over the back of the pew as she smiles for the camera

Academics

STH Womanist Theologian Has a Dream: A Religion and Pan-African Studies Program at BU

February 13, 2026

Photo: A still from the movie "Sinners" with two men looking off into the distance afraid

Film & TV

In Sinners, Bluesmen and Vampires Face Off

May 5, 2025

Photo: An individual with long dark hair smiling in a grey suit outdoors on a sunny day

Mental Health

BU Researcher Teams Up with Boston’s Fathers’ UpLift to Support Black Men’s Mental Health

March 28, 2025

Research

Best of The Brink 2024: 10 Inspiring Inventions and Discoveries—All from BU Researchers

December 13, 2024

Photo: A picture of Andreana (Andree) Cunningham, a CAS assistant professor of archaeology, standing in front of bookshelves that feature books as well as small skull and human body statues.

Bioarchaeology

The Histories of Enslaved People Were Written by Slavers. A BU Researcher Is Working to Change That

August 13, 2024

Photo: A photo with a older Black man sitting in a recording studio with the dials and controls behind him.

Venice Biennale

Louis Chude-Sokei Brings BU, Spoken Word, and Dub Reggae Sounds to Venice Biennale

April 16, 2024

Photo: Ron DeSantis, a white man with short brown hair, speaks into a microphone in a close-up portrait. He is wearing a dark suit.

Politics

BU Historians Weigh In on Ron DeSantis’ Slavery Remarks and His Defense of Florida’s Controversial Social Studies Curriculum

July 31, 2023

Image: Black background with the word "Resistance" in bold, capital letters. The outline of the words is shown above and below the center word with a red, yellow, green gradient.

Black History Month

What “Black Resistance” Means to Me

February 15, 2023

Collage: Images from the covers and poster for various Black works. From top to bottom, left to right: "Do the Right Thing " movie poster, "Batea" by the Colombian band Bejuco album cover, "South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation" book cover, "The Woman King" and "African Queens" shows posters, Festival of Afrofuturism promotional poster, "Watchmen" show poster, "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!" album cover, "Seizing Freedom" podcast art, and "gossypiin" by Ra Malika Imhotep book cover

Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month with These Books, Films, Albums, and Podcasts

January 31, 2023

Studio portrait of Amanda Bailey. A black woman with straight black hair and a light smile leans on a chair with hands intertwined on top of a black chair. She wears a black and white blouse and no-frame glasses.

Respectability Politics

BU Sociologist Saida Grundy on “Respectability Politics” and the Morehouse Man

October 14, 2022

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

African American Studies

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

What Is Juneteenth?