W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies
The W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies is committed to fostering passionate scholar-activists who think globally and act locally. The department takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the diverse history, literature, art, and politics of the African diaspora, as well as topics like the constructed identity of Blackness. Students are encouraged to engage with contemporary, real-life problems, such as the causes and consequences of racism and post-colonialism.
The Afro-American studies program offers individualized attention and plenty of opportunities for international travel to places like Cuba, Ghana, and Jamaica. Students will learn a valuable range of career skills involving research, writing, and critical thinking. Graduates often go on to be lawyers, activists, bankers, and experts on public policy.
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The Mission
We help create academically excellent, socially responsible, and globally concerned scholar activists in the tradition of Massachusetts native W.E.B. Du Bois, through teaching, research and creative activity, and service and outreach to the campus, the community, and scholarly professional fields.
The Legacy of W. E. B. Du Bois
The objective of the graduate program in Afro-American Studies is to produce scholars and teachers in the tradition of the department's namesake, W. E. B. Du Bois.
Black Presence Project
The UMass Amherst Black Presence Project, spearheaded by the late Professor John H. Bracey, serves as a living history of the experiences, contributions, and stories of Black students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
In the news
Afro-Am Department PhD Student Maya Cunningham Receives 2024-25 Diversity Scholars Predoctoral Fellowship
W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies PhD student Maya Cunningham has been awarded the Diversity Scholars Predoctoral Fellowship at Ithaca College.
Professor of History and Africana Studies Amilcar Shabazz Receives 2024 Distinguished Community Engagement Award
Afro Am's Amilcar Shabazz was selected to receive the 2024 Distinguished Community Engagement Award from the Office of the Provost.
Afro-American Studies Doctoral Candidate Karl Lyn Awarded Prestigious 2024 Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant
Afro-Am Studies Ph.D. candidate Karl Lyn has been named a recipient of the prestigious 2024 Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant.
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Yolanda Covington-Ward
Professor
Yolanda Covington-Ward is a professor and the department chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies.
