africanaweb, Author at Africana Studies

Hawkes Speaks on Black-Indigenous Stories/Studies Public Forum

March 20, 2024

DeLisa D. Hawkes, assistant professor in the UT Department of Africana Studies and affiliated faculty in the Department of English and the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Program, was an invited panelist for Black-Indigenous Stories//Black-Indigenous Studies, a roundtable discussion at the University of California, San Diego, in March.

The roundtable, co-sponsored by the Black Studies Project and the Indigenous Futures Institute, asked panelists to discuss how their research considers the possibilities and limits of working at the intersection of Black, Native, and Indigenous Studies. Hawkes spoke about the possibilities within literary studies, while other panelists considered sociology and architecture as fields to discuss Black and Indigenous humanities research.

Hawkes also co-facilitated a research seminar on Black-Indigenous futurisms with Kathryn Walkiewicz (UCSD) on March 15, 2024, at the annual conference for the C19: Society for Nineteenth-Century Americanists, which is the first academic organization dedicated to nineteenth-century American literary and cultural studies.

“Being invited to speak on and share work from my manuscript-in-progress on the intersections of Black and Native/Indigenous Studies in literature was an enriching experience,” Hawkes said. “I got to connect with faculty working in education, communications, and history, to name a few. The work being done at the Black Studies Project and the Indigenous Futures Institute at UC San Diego shows how important it is to be thinking about these peoples’ histories and futures together.”

Welcome to Our Newest Colleagues Fall 2023

November 2, 2023

Bayyinah S. Jeffries, associate professor in the Department of Africana Studies, has research and teaching interests that comprise a range of historical topics and themes including 20th century African American history, Black student movements, Black nationalism and self-determination, race relations, Black women’s history, race and the U.S. Constitution, and comparative Black histories. Jeffries is the author of several publications, including “The Challenge of Race and Religion in the United States: From Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali” in Africana Cultural Memory, “Race Relations in Higher Education: The Case of the OSU 34,” in the Journal of Ohio Valley History, “Black Religion and Black Power: The Nation of Islam’s Internationalism,” in Genealogy Special Issue Global Black Movements, “Raising Her Voice:’ Writings By, For & About Women in Muhammad Speaks Newspaper, 1961-1975,” in African American Consciousness: Past & Present, and her book, A Nation Can Rise No Higher Than Its Women: Black Muslim Women in the Movement for Black Self Determination with Lexington, and other works.

Walter R. Isaac, lecturer in the Department of Africana Studies, is a scholar, public intellectual, and African American rabbi of Palestinian descent. He has for many years worked as a mentor and direct advocate for LGBTQ teens, school-age boys of color, Jewish youth, and victims of urban violence. He is a specialist in intercultural student affairs and university campus dialogue, particularly on issues of systemic racism, sex/gender discrimination, and the politics of Israel/Palestine. A Yale University graduate, Rabbi Isaac was formerly a research fellow in Africana Studies at Brown University, as well as the program director for Temple University’s Institute for the Study of Race and Social Thought. His writings all stem from womanist philosophical approaches to the intersection of Africana studies and global Jewish studies. His research has recently focused on the theoretical and historical development of modern democracy from among American Hebrew communities of color. Before joining the department of Africana Studies, Rabbi Isaac co-directed a $250K NEH grant-funded project on Gullah/Geechee contributions to American democracy. He is a member of many professional organizations and the current President of the Afro-Jewish Studies Association. Currently, he is completing a two-part, monograph on the intersection of German-Jewish phenomenologist, Max Scheler’s objective realism with Martin L. King Jr.’s philosophy of humanistic science. Some of his many articles and monographs can be found in publications such as Contending Modernities, Violence in American Society, the Journal of the Middle East and Africa, Black Existentialism, and a seminal article on Afro-Jewish Studies in the Blackwell Companion to African-American Studies.

Faculty Updates Fall 2023

November 2, 2023

Fatuma Guyo, lecturer in the Department of Africana Studies, has a passion for teaching and sharing the global elements of Africana studies with students. One of her students, Max Polichnowski, shared: “When I began AFST 235, I realized that all I had ever learned about was through the lens of an American. I really want to change that and expand my understanding of the world from more than just an American perspective. I feel drawn to AFST because its rich history and culture are very different from that of America. I believe there is a lot more to be learned, and I am very eager to learn it, which was my motivation behind declaring an AFST minor. I really enjoy Dr. Guyo’s class, and I find the material very interesting and thought provoking. I have found myself spreading what I learn in AFST to my family and friends, expressing my interest in the subject. They too have never had the opportunity to learn about Africa or its history. I am excited to continue learning about Africa and to have this as my minor.”

Robert Bland, assistant professor of Africana studies with a joint appointment in history, was recently invited to write a “state of the field” essay on Southern History for Reviews in American History. He was also appointed to the Programming Committee for the 2024 Biannual Conference of the Society of Civil War Historians.

Danielle Procope Bell, assistant professor of Africana studies, and DeLisa D. Hawkes were selected to participate in the Summer Institute on Tenure and Professional Advancement (SITPA) hosted by Duke University. SITPA is a mentoring program that pairs junior faculty with senior faculty in their field. Both Procope Bell and Hawkes are faculty of Africana Studies whose research agendas add value to the department’s diversity initiatives.

DeLisa D. Hawkes, assistant professor of Africana studies with affiliation in English, presented a webinar highlighting the writings and activism of the early-20th century writer, Sutton Griggs, for the East Texas Historical Association. She was also awarded an SEC Visiting Faculty Travel Grant to conduct and present research at the University of Mississippi. Hawkes, who publishes on race in horror, sci-fi, and thrillers, has engaged with her students and colleagues in her recent research and teaching activities within the department. Since spring 2022, AFST/ENGL 311: Race in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Thriller, a course that Hawkes designed and has taught twice, has been a huge success among students. The course features novels, television series, short stories, and films that interrogate race in the genres of horror, sci-fi, and thriller and has received stellar reviews from students who have enrolled in the course.

Hawkes has extended these interests in race in horror, sci-fi, and thriller in her research as well, having published an article titled “Hippolyta’s Awakening Through Spiritual Warfare in Lovecraft Country (2020)” in Studies in the Fantastic, a peer-reviewed journal of literary and arts criticism focused on speculative and fantasy works. On October 27, 2022, Hawkes gave a public lecture attended by students, faculty, and staff titled “Racecraft in Lovecraft,” where she discussed anthropologist and sociologist, Karen Fields’ and Barbara Fields’, concept of racecraft as it appears in the popular television series. Hawkes also contributed to a forthcoming forum on works inspired by Toni Morrison in the peer-reviewed journal, Women’s Studies. In Hawkes’ contribution, she discusses Morrison as a central inspiration to horror and science fiction studies centered on race.

Addressing Maternal Health Disparities in Knoxville

November 2, 2023

The University of Tennessee Humanities Center provided a grant for a focus group on maternal health issues and disparities.

By Myron Thompson

Danielle Procope Bell, an assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies and member of Knox Birth Equity Alliance (KBEA), supports the One Health Initiative providing information and potential solutions for the community’s maternal health and related disparities. The Knox Birth Equity Alliance is a local community group founded in 2019 to address Black maternal health disparities in the Knoxville community. It is composed of local professors, health workers from the Knox County Health Department, non-profit leaders, and other volunteers.

The CDC reported in 2023, that “Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women” in the United States. Through her research and time with KBEA, Bell asserts that this same maternal disparity is occurring for Black women in the Knoxville area.

“Black women here in Knoxville are approximately 3 to 4 times more likely to pass away from childbirth complications or during that first year post-partum, and Black babies are also 3 to 4 times more likely to pass away during their first year of life,” Bell said.

Although 17 percent of Knoxville is Black according to statistics gathered from the Knox County Health Department, “In 2017, the infant mortality rate for black babies in Knox County was four-and-a-half times that of white babies, and the rate of black babies born at a low-birth rate was almost two-and-a-half times that of white babies.”

Bell received funding from the UT Humanities Center to develop a Black Maternity Health Think Tank. The goal of the think tank is to develop specific and targeted initiatives to reduce rates of disparities in Black maternal health and infant mortality in Knoxville. To accomplish this, the eight colleagues each bring their own specialties, while brainstorming, hoping to eventually match the developed initiatives with grant funding.

“What happens, basically, when you get a group of people who are invested in one specific topic? Black maternal health, in this case —[something good]….So this is the first time that anything like that has been done here in Knox County,” Bell said.

Students wanting to get involved are encouraged to join one of the local non-profits, email Professor Bell, or to be looking out for potential upcoming paid internship opportunities along with research position opportunities. One student, Maron Desta, was able to play a fundamental role as a research assistant for Bell’s research on Black maternal health. Desta became involved in the research after taking a Black feminist theory class with Bell in the prior fall semester; one of several courses offered by Bell and the Department of Africana Studies.

Desta was also given the opportunity to act as a speaker and to introduce guest speakers at Bell’s Black Maternal Health Forum. Desta has worked with Bell on other research and presented at the exhibition of Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Achievement (EUReCA).

Rodgers Celebrates 30 Years of Dedication to UT

November 2, 2023

By Myron Thompson

The Department of Africana Studies is honored to acknowledge and show its gratitude to one of its most loyal, diligent, and inspiring staff members, Nanette Rodgers. Rodgers will be coming up on her 30th year at the University of Tennessee, having demonstrated her diligent work ethic at multiple departments and through her many years.

Rodgers is an administrative associate for the Department of Africana Studies, although over the years she has worked as an accounting specialist at the Department of Biological Sciences and been responsible for a variety of duties. Having lived her whole life here in Knoxville, Rodgers recalled growing up learning that UT was a prestigious, highly-aspired institution, and worth striving to be employed, which motivated Rodgers to work at an institution of higher education.

“I think we are here for the students, and that is what the University of Tennessee is about—the students,” said Rodgers.

There have been many memorable moments for Rodgers, the most special moment was getting to see her son graduate in 2015 from UT.

Another memorable moment at the university was when Rodgers found out that the university’s Veterans Success Center would allow Rodgers to recognize her 94-year-old father, Champ Sims, a World War II veteran.

The Veterans Success Center allowed Sims to be recognized in the center’s newsletter.

“Being an African American, when I noticed there were so many students of diverse backgrounds it just seemed, ‘This was amazing!” Rodgers said. “It’s been great seeing UT become more welcoming over the years.”

Rodgers hopes that as the university continues to grow and improve, people on the campus will continue to learn to accept others, even those that may have come from a different background compared to their own.

To accomplish this Rodgers suggests, “That you get out of your comfort zone and learn to be a little bit more vulnerable,” and to learn to network or meet new people.

To commemorate her many years at UT, Rodgers plans to walk around the university and take in all the old, but also many new sights that are spread around the campus.

“For 30 years is a lot of memories, some good times and maybe not-so-good times. But it’s like a breath of fresh air to say, ‘I’ve made it’. I’m going to take a deep breath and say, ‘You made it,’” Rodgers said.

Rodgers made it her career to focus on the growth of students, aiding her departments, and working tirelessly for so many years. In addition, she completed the 2021-22 UConnect Leadership Program.

On behalf of the Department of Africana Studies and for all those at UT; we owe a huge, “Thank You, Ms. Rodgers,” for her service, love, and commitment that she has brought and continues to bring to the University of Tennessee. Everyone is encouraged to stop by the Department of Africana Studies or to send an email to congratulate Nanette Rodgers on her 30th year at UT.

Prepared and Archived to Succeed

November 2, 2023

UT Department of Africana Studies provides opportunities for an English major to advance her research skills and address the growing concern of the Black archival crisis. By Myron Thompson

An intern from the Department of Africana Studies is helping to facilitate new research opportunities for other students, contributing to helping solve what is becoming known as the crisis of black archives or collections. Her name is Angelica Williams, an English major, who has officially finished her archival assistantship with the Department of Africana Studies. She is attending graduate school at the University of South Carolina.

Williams started as an undergraduate research assistant and decided to continue her work with the Africana studies department through an assistantship with Assistant Professor DeLisa D. Hawkes, helping to accession the department’s vast archive documents. The plan for Williams was to not only archive the department’s decades of documentation but also to use the finding aids she has created to help Professor Hawkes in her design of a new research course helping students to navigate Black archives.

Williams’s work to help accession and record the department’s archival collection and also to create a new archival research course is a pivotal move for UT and the Africana studies department to help combat what is known in the US as “The Crisis of Black Archives,” which is a lack of recording, digitizing, and persevering historical Black documents. This crisis is acknowledged and labeled by those in Africana studies who are focused on archiving and researching along with members of the Black community. This includes other educational organizations, such as The HistoryMakers and members of the Schomburg Research Center.

According to Khalil G. Muhammad, Director Emeritus of the Schomburg Research Center from 2010 to 2015, the crisis of black collections is a crisis of democracy. “This tendency to want to disappear into the fullness of American life, whereby black collections then are subject to the gatekeeping…,” he said during a panel with The HistoryMakers.

“I think realizing how much history is contained in documents that seem really simple on first glance, correspondents and receipts, things like that…but actually reading it and getting to trace the history of the department from simple interactions to protests has been the most interesting thing,” Williams said.

Williams encourages anyone who might be interested in applying for internships at the department, emphasizing the investment the staff has in seeing students grow professionally and describing the archival work as fulfilling and allowing students the opportunity to help highlight the important aspects of history along with obscure programs at the university.

To the up-and-coming students, especially those in middle or high school that are thinking about looking into archival work or might be interested in learning more about this type of work, Williams suggests starting at your own local, public library.

“Also I would just say to pursue your own research interests, even now, whether it be books that you grab from the library or on the Internet that kinda thing, because those research skills will end up being really beneficial later on and you can already tailor your interests and know specifically what you want to pursue later on,” Williams said.

Williams plans to take her knowledge and experience to the University of South Carolina to earn her master’s degree in public history and library science. Post graduate school Williams hopes to advance in her career and to work at a special collections library or work as an archivist at a research institution. She is attending graduate school at the University of South Carolina, where she is also working with the Center for Civil Rights History and Research.

Young Alumni Spotlight

October 3, 2023

Maria Takele (’21) received her BS in political science with an international relations concentration and minors in Africana studies and entrepreneurship. She was accepted in the International Radio and Television Society (IRTS) Foundation’s 2021 summer fellowship program.

“It is an amazing opportunity,” said Takele, who interned with the streamlined media and communications team to help connect companies to cultures and generations through creative, strategic, and analytical art, education, research, and science.

The IRTS Foundation is dedicated to bringing together the wisdom of yesterday’s founders, the power of today’s leaders, and the promise of tomorrow’s young professionals to build the next generation of media leaders, which they think should more accurately reflect the diverse demographic of today’s media consumers.

This highly competitive fellowship is designed to connect students with each other and some of the largest names in media by providing education through access to a series of academic programs, industry events, and mentorship pipelines.

“I hope to continue a career in communications, media & management and plan to one day obtain my master’s in these disciplines.”

Africana Studies Graduate Shares the Importance of Identity

September 23, 2022

(Originally published on the UT Programs Abroad website.)

September 23, 2022 by Albrianna Jenkins

Recent UT graduate and Knoxville native, Kwanbe Bullard Jr., is using his education and abroad experience from his time at The University of Tennessee to create a community where identity is valued, explored and understood.

To Bullard, identity is important because it shapes a person’s worldview. “We are who we are,” says Bullard, who self-identifies as a Black man, a Christian and a southerner. This past summer, in his final time at UT, Bullard chose to elevate his Volunteer experience with something more – an experience abroad to Ghana, Africa.

“I wanted to see [history] with my own eyes instead of seeing it on the Internet and in the books,” says Bullard. The UTK in Ghana summer program abroad, led by Dr. Amadou Sall, is one of many short-term, faculty-directed programs available for UT students to gain an international perspective while working towards their undergraduate degree.

Bullard shares that one of the experiences that resonated with him the most was the class visit to Elmina Castle. “That’s where the enslaved Africans were placed before they were shipped off to the New World,” explains Bullard. “Just listening to the tour guide and learning the history, being able to see the no return door- of how small the door was, and you’re losing your identity- who you are.”

From the conversation, Bullard grows somber. “That was a really big shocker. Just being in a room where enslaved Africans were,” Bullard admits as he describes the sights and smells of the stone dungeons of Elmina Castle.

Bullard with UTK in Ghana classmate, Avie Owensby

Culture Shock and Service-Learning in Ghana

This was among many of the resonating experiences Bullard and his classmates came away with. With previous classmate and Global Studies major, Avie Owensby, Bullard compares the culture of Ghana to that of the United States.

One thing that really shocked me,” shares Owensby, “was the market and bargaining culture, because here, we can just go to the store…They all go to the markets and get anything you can think of really or just on the streets with the ladies with the baskets…I thought that was crazy.” Bullard agrees, chiming in, “It’s like their mom, the dad, the granny, the granddaddy, down to the little kids and they’re all working…Here in the U.S. you don’t hardly see that.”

Bullard with UTK in Ghana classmate, Avie Owensby

The two continue reflecting on their experiences, sharing moments of culture shock and surprise, memories of bustling city markets and an impactful service learning project at Hopeway Orphanage.

“I enjoyed it,” says Bullard. “Building a relationship with the kids. Just being able to take pictures with them with the Polaroid camera.” Owensby, too, shares her experience. “It was really fun to… interact. Like, my girl that I was paired with was Blessing. Blessing was sweet.”

Owensby then reflects on a time when the group had to be flexible in their travel plans. “I really wanted to go on the Kakum National Park canopy walk,” says Owensby, “but because of the rainy season, the floods kind of made it hard to get there. So, we didn’t do it, but we got to go on the little one.” Bullard admits, “I was nervous about [it]. So, it was my first time being on a canopy walk and just being off the ground.”

Kwanbe Bullard Jr.: A Trailblazer, A Change-Maker, A Volunteer

The canopy walk was not the only “first” for Bullard. The international experience was Bullard’s first time leaving the country, and as a first generation college student, Bullard also navigated new terrain at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

“I attended a local community college before transferring to UT in the fall of 2020,” says Bullard. “This is home,” he adds with a smile. Moments later, The Pride of the Southland Band is heard playing in the distance, and Bullard sings along. “Good Ole Rocky Top. Whoo! Rocky Top, Tennessee,” he sings before breaking into a laugh.

When asked what drew him to UT and what barriers he faced, Bullard’s answer for both was the same: finances. Without financial assistance, Bullard admits that he would not have had the same educational opportunities nor the experiences. As a recipient of the Latasia and Donnell Priest Study Abroad Scholarship, Bullard was able to participate in the UTK in Ghana program without having to overcome the financial barrier.

“I am so thankful to the Priest family. Because of their generosity, I was able to have my first, and hopefully not last, international experience. The UTK in Ghana program was so impactful because I couldn’t have learned the same things or really understood them just by reading it in a book,” says Bullard.

Now, Bullard is able to draw upon his education and international experience from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as he works in the community to educate the public and address issues of civil rights.

Finding Identity in Community

Among the many components of his identity, Bullard lists “community activist.” Since his senior year at Austin-East Magnet High School, Bullard has served in both a volunteer and staff capacity at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center (Beck Center). With free admission to the public and home to over 50,000 artifacts, the Beck Center is the only organization in the region dedicated to local and regional African American history.

Now, Bullard uses his platform at the Beck Center to show that knowing one’s own identity helps to recognize and appreciate our unique differences. ”I’m very passionate about Black history,” says Bullard, “and so I wanted to learn more so I can teach… and show Black history since it’s not being taught as much in schools.” This is why Bullard chose to major in Africana Studies at UT.

Africana Studies has been a program for over 50 years at the University of Tennessee, and recently, the program developed into its own department. “I can see that great work is being done at the University of Tennessee for minority students and creating spaces for them,” said Bullard of this achievement.

Kwanbe Bullard Jr. was recently named the Africana Studies Outstanding Graduate of 2022. Bullard shares that he could not have done it alone. “My teachers, my community, myself and my family impacted me,” says Bullard. As students like Kwanbe Bullard Jr. use their platform to create tangible change in the community and throughout the world, the Center for Global Engagement challenges each Volunteer – current and graduated, student and staff person – to answer for themselves the question of what it means to be a global citizen and steward of the Volunteer spirit.

For more information on UT’s Global vision and CGE’s efforts to support this mission, visit https://cge.utk.edu/global-vision/ or contact the Center for Global Engagement at 865-974-3177. To learn more about faculty-directed program options or other opportunities to go abroad, visit programsabroad.utk.edu or contact Programs Abroad at 865-974-3177 or volsabroad@utk.edu.

To hear more about the experiences of Africana Studies graduate, Kwanbe Bullard, and Global Studies major, Avie Owensby, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzEFsemHCtQ

CONTACT:

Albrianna Jenkins (865-974-3177, ajenki58@utk.edu)

(Article originally published on the UT Programs Abroad website.)

Africana Studies Alumna Publishes Debut Novel

June 23, 2022

Writing Her Future, from 2019

Monica Brashears is a senior graduating with a double major in English and Africana Studies. During her time at UT, she has received the Robert A. Burke Creative Writing Award, the Eleanor Burke Award for Nonfiction, the Michael Dennis Poetry Award, and the Margaret Artley Woodruff Award. She also received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship were she participated in study abroad traveling to Senegal.

Monica was also listed as summa cum laude, on the Dean’s List in the College of Arts and Sciences. Upon graduation, she will attend Syracuse University in fall 2019 to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (fiction).

Brashears Publishes Debut Novel to Great Acclaim

Monica Brashears’ (’19) House of Cotton (Flatiron Books, 2023) has received positive press from many news outlets. The book was previewed on The Today Show. Brashears came back to UT to give a reading on April 17, 2023.

See the article published by Today

About House of Cotton, from Monica Brashears’ website:

Magnolia Brown is nineteen years old, broke, and effectively an orphan. She feels stuck and haunted: by her overdrawn bank account, her predatory landlord, and the ghost of her late grandmother Mama Brown.

One night, while working at her dead-end gas station job, a mysterious, slick stranger named Cotton walks in and offers to turn Magnolia’s luck around with a lucrative “modeling” job at his family’s funeral home. She accepts. But despite things looking up, Magnolia’s problems fatten along with her wallet. When Cotton’s requests become increasingly weird, Magnolia discovers there’s a lot more at stake than just her rent.

Sharp as a belted knife, this sly social commentary cuts straight to the bone. House of Cotton will keep you mesmerized until the very last page.

Africana Studies Faculty Celebrate Juneteenth

June 15, 2022

Africana Studies Department Head and Professor Shayla C. Nunnally and Crystal Hardeman-Ikem, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Inclusive Excellence in the Office of the Dean of Students, share information on the history of Juneteenth and ways we can all celebrate the nation’s youngest federal holiday.

The 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade

The 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade will take place on June 20, 2022. The route will run down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and end at the Dr. Walter E. Hardy Park, where the Beck Culture Exchange Center’s Juneteenth Celebration will start at noon. Line-up will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Chilhowee Park, 3300 E. Magnolia Avenue. Step-off is at 10:00 a.m. UT is registered as a group, so it is unnecessary to register individually. We ask that you sign-up here so that we know how many to expect. If you have questions, please email Quannah Washington at qwashing@utk.edu.

Parking will be available at Overcoming Believers Church and Tabernacle Church. Those who park at Tabernacle Church can board at Cruze Street to be transported to Chilhowee Park. Boarding starts at 8:30 a.m. at Harriet Tubman Street at the KAT bus shelter across from The Change Center for transport to Beaman Street near the Chilhowee Park entrance. The shuttle service will park at Cruze Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to return participants who parked in the Overcoming Believers and Chilhowee parking area. Participants will be shuttled every 15 to 20 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., stopping at the three locations for loading and unloading participants. The shuttle services will end at 12:30 p.m.

At the end of the parade, the UT bus will make one trip back to Chilhowee Park. If you park there and need a ride back, please feel free to get on the bus. The bus capacity is 35 people. We look forward to seeing you on June 20th!

Additional Information

For additional information about Juneteenth celebrations in Knoxville, please visit the MLK website and the Beck Center website.

Hawkes Receives SHARP Development Grant

February 28, 2022

DeLisa D. Hawkes, assistant professor of Africana studies at UT, received a research development grant from the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP). The grant is for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) scholars and assists Hawkes with conducting research for her first book project tentatively titled Separate Yet Intertwined: Black and Native Bonds in the Ongoing New Negro Renaissance. Hawkes’s book project focuses on how literary works from the period known as the New Negro Renaissance of the 1920s to 1930s discuss the relationships between Black and Indigenous peoples.

“Support from SHARP shows a growing interest in the ongoing distinct yet similar experiences of Black and Indigenous peoples in the United States and the extensive history of their collaborative efforts,” said Hawkes.

Additionally, Hawkes was invited to participate in the 2022 First Book Institute hosted by the Center for American Literary Studies at Penn State University. The Institute consists of workshops geared towards helping the cohort of eight scholars from around the country to develop their book project for publication with a leading university press.

Hawkes’s research explores and brings attention to the experiences of Black and Indigenous people with topics such as enslavement and colonization. Furthermore, she turns her attention to overlooked topics in literature from the New Negro Renaissance.

“Separate Yet Intertwined invites audiences to imagine anticolonial relationships between Black, Indigenous, and people of color, as well as views of the self within these communities,” said Hawkes.

Hawkes is very engaged in community and scholarship at UT. She recently developed AFST 435, a course that explores literary representations of relationships between Black and Indigenous peoples in the United States. Additionally, Hawkesorganized the panel “A Sharecropper’s Dream: The Legacy of Black Farmers and Black Land Ownership” for Black Ecologies Week at UT. She also assisted in bringing the notable Tiffany Lethabo King to speak during Black Ecologies Week.

“I enjoy discussing my research and teaching with students, colleagues from multiple disciplines, and community members,” said Hawkes. “I look forward to more opportunities to bring scholars and community members to campus who are interested in the intersections between Black and Indigenous studies.”

—Story by Sarah Berry

Student Spotlight Roundup

January 15, 2022

Mentoring Others: Kwanbe D. Bullard Jr.

Kwanbe D. Bullard Jr. is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and a member of the Austin-East High School Class of 2017. Bullard also graduated from Pellissippi State Community College Class of 2020 with an associates of science in reaching. He’s continuing his education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville majoring in Africana Studies with a minor in sociology and is expected to graduate May 2022.

As a college student at UT, Bullard is a member of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Project Grad Knoxville, Tau Sigma National Honors Society, Gamma Beta Phi Society and National Society of Leadership and Success, and Campus Events Board. Bullard is a Project Grad Ambassador for UT. As ambassador, he helps incoming freshmen transition into college life.

Bullard currently works at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center as an executive staff member. In this role, he’s responsible for community outreach and engagement. He also serves as the lead contact for the Knoxville Community Step-Up program that focuses on reducing incarceration and the recidivism rate among Black males that operates out of Beck. Bullard has been working and/or volunteering with Beck since his senior year at Austin-East High School. Beck president, Rev. Reneé Kesler has served as his mentor throughout.

Advocating for Universal Daycare: Isabella Reed

Isabella Reed is a senior majoring in English with a concentration in rhetoric and writing and minoring in Africana Studies and business.

As part of her minor in Africana Studies, Reed has an opportunity to conduct research with Professor Danielle Procope Bell, who is working on a project about Black women’s early involvement in advocating for universal daycare, starting in the late 19th century.

Specifically, Bell examines how Black women’s unique relationship to paid labor drove many Black women activists to take a positive view of daycares and kindergartens, while it was still very taboo among white suffragists or considered something only “unfit” mothers should utilize.

Reed will read sources related to the topic and assist Professor Bell to develop fully the historical breadth of her research. Findings will generate an article or book chapter that will bring awareness to the subject.

Africana Studies Archives Project

January 15, 2022

Africana Studies Archives Project

Angelica Williams will spend the next semester digging through archival materials to uncover the history of the Africana studies program at UT.

A junior English literature major, Williams has experience with preserving materials. In addition to a previous job with the McClung Museum, Williams works as a student library assistant for rare books in the UT Hodges Library.

DeLisa D. Hawkes, a new assistant professor of Africana studies, chose Williams for the assistantship and will oversee her work of processing and curating an exhibit as part of the 50+ years of Africana studies celebration this spring.

Williams has a unique opportunity to review rare photographs – including one of Nina Simone, presumably on the UT campus. She will go through documents and other items, such as minutes from the East Tennessee Committee Against Racism and Apartheid.

“In the future, I would like to enter the field of rare books librarianship,” Williams said. “This assistantship will help to further equip me with the skills necessary to preserve materials for widespread use, to recognize areas of interest within rare materials that are going unattended to, and to utilize various research methods upon entering my prospective job field.”

Endowment Provides Study Abroad Opportunities for Students

January 15, 2022

In addition to classroom training, Africana Studies offers study abroad opportunities for students. In May 2022, Amadou Sall, lecturer in Africana studies, will resume the study abroad program in Ghana.

The program takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of African traditions, cultures, religions, political economies, the impact of colonization, globalization, and the role of Africa in the contemporary world. Participants engage in service learning by working with local communities on issues related to poverty, social justice, race, and gender. Students also learn to speak basic African languages (Wolof and Fulani) and French. Students in any major with a 2.0 GPA or higher are eligible for the study abroad opportunity.

Funding for study abroad in the Africana studies department is provided by the Dr. Carolyn R. Hodges and Dr. Amadou B. Sall Travel Endowment. In honor of Professor Emerita Carolyn Hodges and Africana Studies Lecturer Amadou Sall, the fund was established in 2019 to support the program within the College of Arts and Sciences and provide student funds for travel so they have the opportunity to participate.

Hodges joined UT in 1982 as an assistant professor of German. Her 37-year-career at UT included several leadership positions. She rose from assistant to full professor and served as head of the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures from 1999 to 2004. She was associate dean for faculty personnel and, in 2007, became the university’s first African American vice provost and dean of the Graduate School. She served in that position until 2016 when she rejoined the faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences as a professor of German and chair of the Africana Studies program. She retired from UT in 2019, but left a legacy of leadership and in November 2019, was inducted into the UT African-American Hall of Fame, housed in the Frieson Black Cultural Center on campus. She has written a number of articles and books, including the most recent book, Truth Without Tears: African American Women Deans Share Lessons in Leadership (Harvard Education Press, 2018), which she co-authored with Olga M. Welch.

Sall has been part of the Volunteer community for more than 30 years and an advocate of internationalism and interculturalism on campus. As a lecturer of Africana Studies, Sall has been a leader in promoting diversity and multicultural understanding both within and outside the classroom. He regularly organizes events to broaden peoples’ understanding. Since the 1980s he has worked with the African Student Association on their annual production of Africa Week. He has been honored for his dedication with the University Citation for Excellence in Teaching, the Outstanding Adult Educator–East Tennessee College Alliance Award, and the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association’s Outstanding and Dedicated Service Award, to name a few.

Both Hodges and Sall received the Hardy Liston Jr. Symbol of Hope award, which goes to a faculty member, staff member, or friend of the university who demonstrates a commitment to diversity, multiculturalism, and appreciation of the differences in people and cultures on our campus. Liston – the first African American member of the UT Knoxville central administration – came to UT in 1970 as the assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor of mechanical engineering. He retired in 1990 and passed away in 2021 at the age of 91. Sall received the award in 2014 and Hodges received the award in 2017. The award is presented by the UT Commission for Blacks each year during the Chancellor’s Honors Banquet.

Thanks to their generosity, UT students will have the opportunity to travel to Africa and experience the cultural richness of the area, as well as learn about issues impacting the local communities. If you are interested in supporting this opportunity for our students, please visit africana.utk.edu to donate to the endowment.

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