2026-05-10T18:20:00Z

AAAD Faculty Panel Discussion on Black Spaces at JMU

Abstract Or Scope

This panel discussion documents the institutional history of JMU's AAAD Studies program through the perspectives of founding faculty members, covering several key themes. The founding of AAAD Studies traces its origins to 1980s student-led initiatives that called for Black-centered curricula, with Dr. Jacqueline Walker detailing her 1976 arrival at Madison College, where she developed early African American history courses. Dr. David Owusu-Ansah recounts the collaborative efforts across departments to secure federal grants for African Studies, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary partnerships with art history, political science, and English. Faculty also reflect on the pedagogical challenges of teaching Africana content to predominantly white student bodies; Dr. Steven Reich discusses his approach to dismantling racialized medical biases through historical analysis, while Dr. Melinda Adams highlights her use of African novels in political science courses to counter Eurocentric scholarship. Additionally, Dr. Walker and Dr. Owusu-Ansah analyze retention strategies for BIPOC faculty, noting that JMU has relied more on interpersonal networks than on structural reforms for support. The panel further critiques JMU's fraught relationship with Harrisonburg's Black communities, with Dr. Reich acknowledging the resistance to archiving local Black history.

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Collection Context

1. James Madison University

2. Black Studies, Black Spaces oral histories

3. Classroom Panel Discussion Sound Recordings