African American Studies

The Minor in African American Studies provides an interdisciplinary approach to exploring facets of Black culture within the United States. This program is designed to be of interest to students who want to explore the many contributions of African Americans to the political, historical, social, and artistic fabric of the United States.

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How to Apply

Minors can only be declared by current Illinois State students. ISU students can use the Apply to Your Program tool on My.IllinoisState.edu.

Applications for the African American studies minor are always being accepted.

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Dr. Ken Warren to give Black History Month Talk

Black History Month speaker: Rethinking Race and Social Construction, February 27

2022 Spring Lecture, Cedrick Simmons

Cedrick Simmons gave the 2022 spring lecture, The Challenges of Diversity Management.

2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Keynote

Jemele Hill, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, co-founder of Lodge Freeway Media, and contributing writer for The Atlantic, gave the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. keynote address

Allen & Mathis Spring 2022 Talk on Black Women’s Success

The African American Studies program hosted the talk: “Black Women Rising: From the Classroom to the Boardroom.”

2022 Black History Month Keynote, Dr. Zine Magubane

Dr. Zine Magubane, professor of sociology at Boston College, will deliver the lecture “The Uses and Abuses of Jim Crow: Contemporary Race Theory and the Problem of History” at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, February 28, as part of events for Black History Month. This event will be held via Zoom.

C raig Fall Lecture on Lynching

In the talk, which was part of the African American Studies Fall Speaker Series, Craig posed the question: How can the nation remember lynching in a way that can heal and redeem the American project of democracy?

Robinson, Rodriguez Lecture on COVID-19

In collaboration with the Latin American and Latino/a Studies program, Drs. Dean E. Robinson and Javier Rodriguez lectured on race, public health, and COVID-19 this March.

Davis Spring Lecture on Black Music

In collaboration with the School of Music, Dr. Ollie Wats Davis, gave a talk titled “Journey through the Music of Black Americans: Art. Aesthetic. Activism” in March.

Neville Spring Lecture on Radical Healing & Hope

Dr. Helen Neville presented “The Psychology of Radical Healing and Hope: Implications for Research and Practice with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

2021 Black History Month Address

In collaboration with the Department of History, Dr. Calvin White Jr. gave a talk titled “Oscar S. De Priest: A Black Congressman in Jim Crow America” for Black History Month.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Virtual Event

Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, spoke of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy in light of the current crisis.

African American Studies is part of the Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS). Illinois State University offers major and minor programs that allow students to synthesize knowledge that spans two or more academic disciplines. To find more about African American Studies, please contact us.

Location: Williams Hall 328

Phone Number: (309) 438-8298