On Friday, April 1st, the department hosted a one-day symposium consisting of four virtual panel discussions.
Reflections on Africana Studies at PItt
Panelists were asked to reflect on the founding of the Department of Africana Studies, the goals and challenges of the past, and comment on the future of Africana Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.
Panelists:
- Jack Daniel - Former Vice Provost, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh
- Curtiss Porter - Chancellor Emeritus, Penn State Greater Allegheny at Penn State University
Leadership in Africana Studies
Panelists were asked to reflect on the challenges and possibilities of leading departments, center, and institutes of Black Studies/Africana Studies and to provide commentary on the future of Africana Studies overall.
Panelists:
- Amoaba Gooden - VP for the Division of Diversity, former Chair of Department of Pan-African Studies
- Leslie Alexander - Associate Professor of History, Arizona State University, Former President of ASWAD
- Charles Jones - Professor of Africana Studies, University of Cincinatti, Former Department Chair
- Joshua Myers - Associate Professor of Africana Studies, Howard University
Pondering New Futures in Africana Studies
Panelists were asked to lay out new directions and approaches to Africana Studies that they are pursuing in their own work or that they see as important for the future of Africana Studies.
Panelists:
- Sam Black: Director of African American Program, Heinz History Center
- Jeffrey McCune - Associate Professor & Director, Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African American Studies, University of Rochester
- Lindsey Villareal - Graduate Advisor, Policy Analyst, UC Berkeley
- Cynthia Young - Department Head, African American Studies, Pennsylvania State University
Models of Graduate Student Mentorship in Africana Studies
Panelists were asked to dsicuss their experiences of being mentored by Dr. Jerome Taylor when they were graduate students (in psychology, education, etc.) and any strategies or approaches to mentorship that can be used for supporting graduate students in the Department of Africana Studies at Pitt.
Panelists:
- Stanley Denton - Professor of Education, Point Park University
- Dana Thompson-Dorsey - David C. Anchine Endowed Chair in Education Innovation, University of South Florida
- Michael Quigley - Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership, Project Director (Research and Grant Administration), Robert Morris University
- Susan Wilson - Retired Vice-Chancellor, University of Missouri at Kansas City