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McKinnis, L. C. (2023). The Black Coptic Church: Race and Imagination in a New Religion. NYU Press
McKinnis asks, ‘What does it mean to imagine Blackness?’ Drawing on ten years of archival research and interviews with current members of the church, The Black Coptic Church offers a look at a group...
Read full story about McKinnis, L. C. (2023). The Black Coptic Church: Race and Imagination in a New Religion. NYU Press
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Smith II, B. J. (2023). Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement. The University of North Carolina Press
This book unearths a food story buried deep within the soil of American civil rights history. Drawing on archival research, interviews, and oral histories, Bobby J. Smith II re-examines the...
Read full story about Smith II, B. J. (2023). Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement. The University of North Carolina Press
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Professor Sundiata Cha-Jua on African Americans and reparations
Support for reparations for people of African descent to compensate for slavery and racial oppression is growing because U.S. political and corporate leaders have retreated from a commitment to racial justice, says Sundiata Cha-Jua, an Illinois professor of history and of African American studies...
Fall 2024 Open House
The department of African American Studies hosted it's annual fall Open House where we welcomed AFRO's major and minor students to the new '24 academic year, as well as engaged in good food and conversation. The turnout was insightful for both the students and faculty. Thank you to all...
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Candice Jenkins, professor and head of African American Studies selected as fellow for The Big Ten Academic Alliance
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Big Ten Academic Alliance recently announced the 2024-25 fellows for its Academic Leadership Program and...
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Professor emeritus of African American studies donates papers to Archives
The faculty and personal papers of Gerald McWorter, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor emeritus of African American studies and of information sciences, show the arc of a freedom narrative, from his ancestors’ founding of New Philadelphia, Illinois — the first U.S....
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Congratulations Dr. Bobby J Smith II for being promoted to associate professor
We here at the department of African American Studies are proud to relay that professor Bobby Smith has moved up the ranks from professor to associate professor! Please click on the link to see the acknowledgement from the College of LAS.
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Hiring for Fall 2024: Professor (Open Rank) focused on Black Health and Wellness
The department invites applications for a full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor or full-time tenured Associate or Full Professor in Black Health and Wellness. The rank is open. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary faculty and lead efforts to address issues of...
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LAS’s Q&A with Professor Bobby J. Smith II exploring the politics of one of life's necessities—and how it fueled the Civil Rights Movement.
Read an enlightening interview with AFRO faculty member, Dr. Bobby J. Smith II, as he discusses his book 'Food Power Politics', which redefines the role of food in the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement.
Smith's book explores the intricate relationship between African American life, food, and...
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Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement.
The College of LAS has published a Q&A with Professor Bobby J. Smith II in connection with his recently published book, “Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement.”