African American Studies
What is African American Studies?
African American Studies is an academic discipline that examines the experiences of people of African descent in the United States. The field encompasses a wide range of topics, including history, politics, sociology, and culture. African American Studies scholars often focus on the ways in which Black people have resisted oppression and fought for social change.
African American Studies programs began to emerge in the late 1960s, as Black scholars and students demanded that colleges and universities offer courses that would focus specifically on the Black experience in America. Today, African American Studies is offered at many colleges and universities across the country, and its scholars contribute to our understanding of the African American experience in a variety of ways.
African American Studies Resources
Amos Fortune, Free Man
Newbery Medal biography of an African-born man enslaved in colonial New England who bought his freedom and that of others.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Newbery Medal novel about a Black family holding onto their Mississippi land during the Depression and Jim Crow.
Bud, Not Buddy
Newbery Medal novel following a ten-year-old orphan across Depression-era Michigan in search of the father he thinks he has found.
Black History Videos for Kids
These black history videos for kids will teach children about African American men and women who helped shape our world! Starting with our Black History Month for Kids video, this playlist will share the biographies of some of the most amazing people...
Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies
This class is an interdisciplinary survey that explores the experiences of people of African descent through the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing...