Legacy In Motion: Readings on African American Studies

This text is intentionally designed as an interactive teaching and learning engagement that supports student success by combining historical scholarship, contemporary issues, reflective analysis, class dialogue, and global perspectives within Black Studies. Rather than memorizing isolated facts, students will be encouraged to actively connect historical experiences to present-day conversations involving race, democracy, identity, inequality, culture, and social justice.

Throughout the semester, we will explore Africa as the birthplace of humanity, the development of the African diaspora, slavery and resistance, Black political thought, civil rights struggles, Black feminism, Black internationalism, music, culture, education, and contemporary debates involving citizenship and democracy. Students will also examine how African American Studies emerged from student activism and continues to serve as an important interdisciplinary field committed to historical understanding, intellectual empowerment, democratic engagement, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary.

Most importantly, this course is designed to affirm that every student belongs in the learning process. Your perspectives, questions, experiences, and intellectual curiosity matter. Together, we will create a classroom environment grounded in respect, dialogue, academic excellence, and community as we critically engage the past to better understand the present and imagine a more informed and inclusive future.