"African American Studies Program" Archive

Reynolda Campus closed Jan. 17 in observance of MLK Day

As a reminder, the Wake Forest University Reynolda Campus will be closed Monday, Jan. 17 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State University will hold their annual joint celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 17, at 7 p.m.

On Jan. 17, at noon, the WFU African American Studies Program will also host a virtual panel discussion on the connections between climate change, environmental justice and democracy. The event, “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” will feature Wake Forest Professor of the Humanities Corey D. B. Walker in conversation with environmental justice activists and organizers. Learn more and register here.

Melanie Harris and Austin Rivera join Wake Divinity faculty

The Wake Forest University School of Divinity will welcome two new faculty-scholars on July 1. Melanie L. Harris will join as professor of Religion, Black Feminist Studies and Womanist Theology and director of the Food, Health and Ecological Well-Being Program. She is jointly appointed with the Wake Forest University African American Studies program. Charles “Austin” Rivera will join as assistant professor of Church History. Read more

Categories: Faculty NewsInside WFU

Conversation with Corey D. B. Walker on African American Studies at Wake Forest

The Intercultural Center invites the campus community to join “‘The Challenge of Blackness’: A Public Conversation on African American Studies at
Wake Forest.” Photo of Corey D.B. Walker smiling with his arms crossed at the front of a classroom

Corey D. B. Walker, professor of the humanities, literature and interdisciplinary studies, will lead this virtual iLab Lunch & Learn on Wednesday, Feb. 3, from 12-1:30 p.m. The conversation will explore the intellectual project of African American Studies at Wake Forest University, with particular attention to the politics of knowledge, the idea(l) of the university and the question of the human.

Walker joined the Wake Forest faculty in July 2020 after serving as an external consultant to the Wake Forest Slavery, Race, and Memory Project during the 2019-2020 academic year. He edited “To Stand With and For Humanity,” a collection of essays written by Wake Forest faculty and administrators that examines the institution of slavery and its ties to the University. Walker’s research and teaching interests include Africana philosophy, critical theory, ethics, social and political philosophy, and religion and public life.

Walker is the inaugural director of Wake Forest University’s new African American Studies Program, which will launch during the fall 2021 semester. This week, an anonymous donor made a $1 million gift to “support the overall development of African American Studies, including the creation of new and innovative courses, faculty research and collaboration, and a variety of programming designed to critically address pressing issues of public concern.”

Register to join “The Challenge of Blackness” on the PDC website

Read “New African American Studies Program supported by $1M gift” on the Wake Forest News website to learn more about the new African American Studies Program.

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