African American Studies at UW-Madison
@afamuw.bsky.social
Committed to bringing academic research to the broadest possible audience through studies in history, literature, the social sciences, and the arts; the deepest understanding of the complex reality of race in America requires an interdisciplinary approach.
We are THRILLED to announce that our research lab, The SoulFolk Collective, will be launching a Saturday Freedom School in Spring 2027. This will be a place that is rooted in love, learning, and liberation for our community in Madison, Wisconsin.
November 5, 2025 at 10:14 PM
We are THRILLED to announce that our research lab, The SoulFolk Collective, will be launching a Saturday Freedom School in Spring 2027. This will be a place that is rooted in love, learning, and liberation for our community in Madison, Wisconsin.
Political Science and African American Studies Ph.D. minor student Fawziyah Laguide is currently seeking participants for: "A Research Study Exploring Democracy, Diaspora, Race, Community, and Everyday Life".
November 3, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Political Science and African American Studies Ph.D. minor student Fawziyah Laguide is currently seeking participants for: "A Research Study Exploring Democracy, Diaspora, Race, Community, and Everyday Life".
The enslavement of African and African American people is not just a regional legacy within the United States–it is a national legacy.
November 3, 2025 at 4:52 PM
The enslavement of African and African American people is not just a regional legacy within the United States–it is a national legacy.
The Department of African American Studies invites undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline whose work centers or intersects with Black studies and Black people to participate in our 2026 Student Symposium, taking place February 27, 2026.
October 30, 2025 at 8:41 PM
The Department of African American Studies invites undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline whose work centers or intersects with Black studies and Black people to participate in our 2026 Student Symposium, taking place February 27, 2026.
Are you a graduate student seeking a TA position for the Spring 2026 semester? The Department of African American Studies is hiring:
October 30, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Are you a graduate student seeking a TA position for the Spring 2026 semester? The Department of African American Studies is hiring:
Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara’s "Dark Work: The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island" is currently on view (through 2027) at the John Brown House Museum (Rhode Island Historical Society) in Providence, Rhode Island.
October 16, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara’s "Dark Work: The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island" is currently on view (through 2027) at the John Brown House Museum (Rhode Island Historical Society) in Providence, Rhode Island.
We would like to extend an invitation to join us as we fill Bascom Hill with pink lawn flamingos as a part of Fill the Hill, an annual campus-wide fundraising event held every fall:
African American Studies - Fill The Hill
Committed to bringing academic research to the broadest possible audience, the Department of African American Studies believes the deepest understanding of the complex reality of race in America requi...
uwflamingos.com
October 10, 2025 at 3:13 PM
We would like to extend an invitation to join us as we fill Bascom Hill with pink lawn flamingos as a part of Fill the Hill, an annual campus-wide fundraising event held every fall:
Dr. Brittney Edmonds, assistant professor of African American Studies, has been awarded the inaugural $50,000 Paul Martin Wolff Center seed grant.
October 6, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Dr. Brittney Edmonds, assistant professor of African American Studies, has been awarded the inaugural $50,000 Paul Martin Wolff Center seed grant.
Dr. Jessica Lee Stovall, director of The SoulFolk Collective, and Ph.D. student, Angela Fitzgerald Wald, a research fellow for SoCo, joined the City Cast Madison podcast this week to discuss how SoCo is centering the Black Madison experience. Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/2UWo...
How a New UW Lab is Mapping Black Madisonians' Stories
open.spotify.com
September 16, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Dr. Jessica Lee Stovall, director of The SoulFolk Collective, and Ph.D. student, Angela Fitzgerald Wald, a research fellow for SoCo, joined the City Cast Madison podcast this week to discuss how SoCo is centering the Black Madison experience. Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/2UWo...
Join Professors Henry J. Drewal and Elaine Sullivan for a conversation about displaying African arts in museums.
September 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Join Professors Henry J. Drewal and Elaine Sullivan for a conversation about displaying African arts in museums.
Hear Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara discuss her research on race-based slavery, Black settlement, abolition, and Black rights in the 18th and 19th century Midwest on The Journal of American History podcast.
September 11, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Hear Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara discuss her research on race-based slavery, Black settlement, abolition, and Black rights in the 18th and 19th century Midwest on The Journal of American History podcast.
The Department of African American Studies is hiring! 📣 We are currently seeking graduate students as Readers and Graders for 100-300 level courses.
September 11, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The Department of African American Studies is hiring! 📣 We are currently seeking graduate students as Readers and Graders for 100-300 level courses.
Dr. Ethelene Whitmire's latest book, "The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram", the true story of a queer, Black man living in Europe during 20th century, will be released from Penguin Random House on February 3, 2026.
July 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Dr. Ethelene Whitmire's latest book, "The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram", the true story of a queer, Black man living in Europe during 20th century, will be released from Penguin Random House on February 3, 2026.
We're continuing our SoulFolk Collective research fellow spotlights this week by showcasing the work of Ayshea Banes, an incoming M.A. student in African American Studies and incoming Ph.D. student in Curriculum & Instruction.
June 11, 2025 at 5:26 PM
We're continuing our SoulFolk Collective research fellow spotlights this week by showcasing the work of Ayshea Banes, an incoming M.A. student in African American Studies and incoming Ph.D. student in Curriculum & Instruction.
Calling Black Residents of Madison, WI! 📍We want to hear your stories—how you move through and experience Madison, Wisconsin, and the surrounding areas.
June 10, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Calling Black Residents of Madison, WI! 📍We want to hear your stories—how you move through and experience Madison, Wisconsin, and the surrounding areas.
This summer, research fellows in The SoulFolk Collective, the first research lab in the Department of African American Studies, are collecting data, imagery, and conducting oral history interviews in the Madison community to further their solution-based research.
June 10, 2025 at 5:37 PM
This summer, research fellows in The SoulFolk Collective, the first research lab in the Department of African American Studies, are collecting data, imagery, and conducting oral history interviews in the Madison community to further their solution-based research.
Congratulations to Master of Arts student, Forrest Ashworth, on his graduation this spring!
June 2, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Congratulations to Master of Arts student, Forrest Ashworth, on his graduation this spring!
“If you wanted to understand wealth gaps among African Americans and white Americans, you need to understand history...this doesn’t just come out of nowhere.” — Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara for PBS Wisconsin
May 7, 2025 at 5:49 PM
“If you wanted to understand wealth gaps among African Americans and white Americans, you need to understand history...this doesn’t just come out of nowhere.” — Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara for PBS Wisconsin
“Theories on Black politics need a bit more color for this particular moment." — Dr. Andrene Wright-Johnson
Read more of Dr. Andrene Wright-Johnson's thoughts on Black politics in our full interview here: africanamericanstudies.wisc.edu/newsletter/
Read more of Dr. Andrene Wright-Johnson's thoughts on Black politics in our full interview here: africanamericanstudies.wisc.edu/newsletter/
May 5, 2025 at 9:10 PM
“Theories on Black politics need a bit more color for this particular moment." — Dr. Andrene Wright-Johnson
Read more of Dr. Andrene Wright-Johnson's thoughts on Black politics in our full interview here: africanamericanstudies.wisc.edu/newsletter/
Read more of Dr. Andrene Wright-Johnson's thoughts on Black politics in our full interview here: africanamericanstudies.wisc.edu/newsletter/
“Women, especially Black women...live in the shadows of their own theories and contributions. Many people will say ‘I’m a Marxist’ or ‘I’m a Foucauldian’. Scholars who are men get the accolades and schools of thought named after them, but women don’t." — Dr. LaShawn Faith Washington
April 30, 2025 at 3:02 PM
“Women, especially Black women...live in the shadows of their own theories and contributions. Many people will say ‘I’m a Marxist’ or ‘I’m a Foucauldian’. Scholars who are men get the accolades and schools of thought named after them, but women don’t." — Dr. LaShawn Faith Washington
Examine the biographies, political ideologies, and activism of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela in AFROAMER671: “Malcolm, Martin, and Mandela” with Dr. Sabrina Thomas this fall. Enrollment open now open for all students.
April 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Examine the biographies, political ideologies, and activism of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela in AFROAMER671: “Malcolm, Martin, and Mandela” with Dr. Sabrina Thomas this fall. Enrollment open now open for all students.
2025 marks our 55th anniversary as a department on UW-Madison's campus. In September, we will host a Symposium for our alumni, friends, and current students entitled "Celebrating 55 Years of Scholarship, Leadership, and Activism". Learn more by visiting the link in our bio.
April 22, 2025 at 6:19 PM
2025 marks our 55th anniversary as a department on UW-Madison's campus. In September, we will host a Symposium for our alumni, friends, and current students entitled "Celebrating 55 Years of Scholarship, Leadership, and Activism". Learn more by visiting the link in our bio.