UMass Hosts the Souls of Black Folk Teacher’s Institute

Academics
Three people closely examine historical documents and photographs laid out on a table in a classroom setting.

For eight days, from June 22 to June 29, 2025, a team of researchers in the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies in the College of Education led a residential teacher’s institute, the Souls of Black Folk and the Foundations of African American Studies.

Fourteen middle and high school teachers and librarians from across the country—from cities as far away as in Mississippi, California, and Washington state and as close as Boston, Somerville, and Amherst—participated in the institute. Using the life and work of Du Bois as an organizing framework, UMass Amherst faculty designed the institute to support educators interested in preparing to offer the new Advanced Placement African American Studies course or in generally expanding their content knowledge and pedagogy in African American studies.

A group of people stands in a forest clearing, listening to a speaker. The scene is surrounded by tall trees and lush greenery

“In light of the growing interest in African American studies, especially among teachers, our project team was determined to use our expertise to help support teachers in sharing such important topics with their students,” said Professor Yolanda Covington-Ward, chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies. “Overall, it was an amazing experience that we hope to replicate in the future. We really appreciate all of the university’s support. We want the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies, the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, and UMass Amherst overall to be national leaders in supporting teachers seeking to teach African American Studies.”

The institute was led by Covington-Ward; Toussaint Losier, associate professor in the Department of Afro-American Studies; A Yęmisi Jimoh, professor in the Department of Afro-American Studies; and Keisha L. Green, associate professor of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies in the College of Education. College of Education doctoral candidate Shannon Laribo was the project coordinator and Afro-American Studies PhD student Anaëlle Cama assisted with logistics.

A speaker points to a presentation slide during a lecture at UMass Amherst

Various faculty from the Five Colleges, including members of the project team, gave guest lectures, along with Amilcar Shabazz, James Smethurst, and Anne Kerth (all from the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies), and Stefan Bradley (from the Department of Black Studies at Amherst College). Dr. Alex Carter, Upper School dean and teacher at Poly Prep Country Day School as well as a PhD graduate from the Afro-American Studies Department, led a session on the AP African American studies course. Megan McLean, one of the teacher participants, discussed her perspective as both an AP instructor and a grader for the College Board.

Among highlights of the institute were an afternoon trip to the W. E. B. Du Bois archives in the W. E. B. Du Bois Center in the UMass library and an all-day-Saturday field trip and historical walking tour in Great Barrington, Massachusetts centered on Du Bois’s life. Over the course of the institute, the teachers worked in small teams to develop sample lesson plans on an assigned topic. To close out the institute, these teams presented their lessons to all of the participants.

Three people stand closely examining an exhibit on W.E.B. Du Bois, which features photographs, documents, and historical information displayed on a wall.

“It was quite inspiring to be a part of this weekslong institute,” said Losier. “As research faculty, it was a unique opportunity not only to share our expertise in African American studies, but also to hear from educators about their own experiences presenting this material in the classroom. The institute fostered such a dynamic learning environment, while grounding us in the interdisciplinarity at the heart of African American studies and exemplified in the work of W. E. B. Du Bois.”

This project grew out of a series of local pilot teacher workshops in 2023–2024. The project team was subsequently awarded a $171,962 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in August 2024. In April 2025, after the federal grant was unexpectedly terminated, the project team collaborated with the university to organize a modified and shortened version of the original institute. Thanks to financial support from the deans of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the College of Education, project faculty research funds, the Provost’s Office, and ResCoe funds, the institute was able to take place. The Center for Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research (CRJ) in the College of Education provided additional resources.

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