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Graduate Certificate Flyer

Official Launch: Graduate Certificate in Global Black Studies

The Department of African & African American Studies (AFAS) at Washington University in St. Louis is excited to announce the official launch of our graduate certificate in Global Black Studies. This innovative program provides a unique opportunity for Ph.D. students to deepen their understanding of the global dimensions of Black history, culture, and thought. Applications are now open for the Fall 2025 cohort. Interested students are encouraged to explore the program details through the attached link and reach out to Gabrielle Weeden at weeden@wustl.edu for any questions or additional information

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Proposals are due by 10/11/24

Meet us in St. Louis for ASWAD’s 25th Anniversary Conference next year!

2025 Association of the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD) Conference - Call for Papers

ASWAD is a not-for-profit organization of international scholars seeking to further their understanding of Africa and the African Diaspora. The theme for this years conference is, “I’ve known rivers”: The Ecologies of Black Life and Resistance." The conference will take place at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel on October 29 - November 2, 2025. If you are interested in submitting a session proposal to present your research, please use the attached link to learn more.

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JBR is an annual journal that brings together peer‐reviewed critical essays and creative non-fiction on the life, writings, and legacy of James Baldwin.

James Baldwin Review Volume 10 Release

James Baldwin Review (JBR) is proud to announce the publication of our tenth anniversary volume. This double issue coincides with the centennial celebration of James Baldwin’s birth in 1924. JBR Vol. 10 boasts two feature essays—one a rumination on the “monstrosity” of the Baldwin archive by Robert Reid-Pharr, the other a series of speculative notes on the unlikely convergence of Baldwin and Susan Sontag in a hotel room in Paris, by William Maxwell. This special volume also features two Baldwin speeches and one interview from a single and singular day in 1963, printed here for the first time. A collection of eulogies and remembrances, an overview of Baldwin archival resources, and an interview with the inimitable Cornel West round out the packed, celebratory volume.

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About Our Department

Our faculty pursue interests across the spectrum of African and African American studies. In addition to our expertise in core subjects areas like English, history, sociology, and anthropology, AFAS faculty are actively engaged in interdisciplinary, practice-oriented fields across Washington University, including social work and public health, architecture and design, computer science, business, law, and education. 

The department regularly sponsors lectures and events, such as plays, film festivals, exhibits, field trips, and panels and speakers, which focus on contemporary or perennial topics of interest in all areas of the Black experience. In many cases, guest lecturers and artists visit classes and interact directly with our students and others across the campus community. Through our scholarship, teaching, and broader engagement activities we seek to foster a vibrant and impactful social and intellectual community of African and African American Studies. 

upcoming
events

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Intricacies and Intimacies: A Conversation on Black Queer/Trans Sexuality with Matt Richardson and Marlon M. Bailey

Intricacies and Intimacies: A Conversation on Black Queer/Trans Sexuality with Matt Richardson and Marlon M. Bailey

Umrath Lounge
AFAS Alumni '10, Dr. Heather Skanes, highlighted in the New York Times for her work surrounding Black Maternal Health

AFAS Alumni '10, Dr. Heather Skanes, highlighted in the New York Times for her work surrounding Black Maternal Health

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The struggle and reward of Black studies

The struggle and reward of Black studies

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AFAS Summer Institute Recap

Enjoy a brief recap of our inaugural Summer Institute, where we welcomed educators from the St. Louis metropolitan area. These educators either integrate elements of Black culture, history, and literature into their courses or teach at a school that currently offers or intends to introduce the AP/African American Studies course.

AFAS Faculty Lead the Way with New Ampersand Hip-Hop Class

Faculty members Jonathan Fenderson and Zachary Manditch-Prottas are uniting students from diverse disciplines in a rigorous study of hip-hop and rap, the predominant music of their generation.

campus organizations

  • African Students Association

    ASA's mission is to advance political, social, cultural, and economic awareness about the African continent by engaging individuals in dialogue that will establish a deeper understanding and appreciation of the dynamic cultures within the continent.

  • Association of Black Students

    The Association of Black Students is an organization with a rich, powerful history of fellowship, service, and advocacy at Washington University..

  • Black Alumni Council

    The mission of the BAC is to support the professional and personal development of WashU black alumni, to assist in the recruitment and retention of African American students, and to enhance the continued growth and development of the university.

  • Black Anthology

    Black Anthology was founded in 1989. It is an annual performance that is written, choreographed, directed, and produced entirely by Washington University students.

My time in AFAS provided me with a family that kept me focused and motivated throughout my time at WashU. There was an abundance of resource sharing and support from both students and faculty. My time in AFAS also encouraged me to ask questions and challenge the erasure of Blackness in other areas of study. AFAS gave me a second home while at WashU, and continues to keep me rooted today.

―Ashley ThompsonClass of 2021, double major in Political Science and AFAS with a minor in Sociology. She is currently a second-year law student at Stanford Law School.