Professor Amilcar Shabazz Receives 2023 Ruth B. Loving Civl Rights Award
February 03, 2023
Congratulations to Professor Amilcar Shabazz on being awarded the Ruth B. Loving Civil Rights Award! ...
Professor Steven Tracy's Interview on "Meet the American Who”
January 24, 2023
Professor Steven Tracy was interviewed live on radio for “Meet the American Who,” an international radio news story on Fox News dealing with the blues singer Mamie Smith. The program also cites his...
Maya Cunningham's Recent Publication
December 09, 2022
"Fishbowl Colonialism: The White Colonial Gaze on the Sound of Black America in Education." was published in New York University's Voices in Urban Education (VUE) journal (Spring/Summer 2022)....
Career Pathways and Issues in BIPOC Mental Health and Wellness
via Zoom
5:00 pm to 6:30 pm

Chayanne Chataigne '21
A resident of Worcester, MA, Chayanne Chataigne decided on UMass Amherst due to its proximity to home and financial aid offerings. Chayanne was initially a psychology major, but during the fall of her first year she took a general education course on Afro-American history from 1619 to 1860. In the spring, she took Introduction to Black Studies. Eventually, she made the decision to add the Black Studies major to enrich her academic path. She graduates with a dual degree in psychology and Afro-Am Studies.
Continue reading about Chayanne Chataigne
Why Afro-American Studies?
Our department is named for the great intellectual, a native of our Western Massachusetts region, who was the first academic scholar to pioneer the systematic study of people of African descent in the U.S. and throughout world. To earn a degree in Afro-American Studies, to take courses leading to a certificate or a minor is to follow in W.E.B. Du Bois’ footsteps of academic excellence and social responsibility.
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