Opinion
Past, present and future of Africana Studies
By Terri Moise ’17
April 7, 2016
Tags opinion
When I first arrived at Hamilton College, I was so sure that I wanted to be a World Politics major, as I believed that I wanted to start traveling the world, changing governments and being the change that I wanted to see in the world. While I still hold a healthy level of respect for World Politics, it was not for me. The moment that I sat in an Africana Studies course, I knew what I wanted to major in. After I took courses such as the “Black Self” with the Sidney Wertimer Professor of Philosophy, Professor Todd Franklin, “Queers of Color Critique” with Visiting Professor of Africana Studies, Yumi Pak ,and “Blackness and American Pop Culture” with Visiting Professor of Africana Studies, Courtney Thompson, I was sold on the Africana Studies department.
For me, the Africana Studies department served as a means for me to understand who I am in relation to this campus, the world and, ultimately, to those I care about. So many people speak eloquently about how chemistry and biology changed their lives, how anthropology and sociology show them how the world and people work and how creative writing helps them express themselves. My freshman year, Africana Studies did all of these things and more. The only option in my mind was to declare as an Africana Studies major and dive in headfirst.
At the time of my declaration, the department was led by Professor Heather Merrill, whose research focuses on race and identity in Europe as it relates to the African Diaspora. Prior to my declaration, I had not known that Professor of Africana Studies Merrill was chair, as I had not seen her at any of the student events that her colleagues within the department attended. However, when I met her, I had high hopes because of my prior experience with other members of her department. In terms of knowledge, Professor Merrill has done the best she could to assist in the growth in the Africana Studies department, which shows that effort may not always lead to results.
The semester of my declaration, I took one of the required courses for my major, “Africa in Diaspora,” with Professor of Africana Studies, Donald Carter, former chair of the Africana Studies Department. Again, I had high hopes because of the interactions I had with other professors within the department. Sadly, in this instance, I was disappointed. The fire and lively discussion that I was so accustomed to within these courses was not present in his class, and another part of me questioned whether or not Professor Carter genuinely cared about my status as both a major and as a student in his class. Throughout my time in his class, I spent more time learning about his research on Senegalese in Italy, which, while interesting, did not prepare me for the rigor of some of the higher level Africana courses. Had I not taken other courses within the department, perhaps I would have fallen prey to the mindset that all Africana courses could be considered “easy,” a notion that many students hold after taking classes with Professor Carter.
For awhile, I doubted my decision to be an Africana Studies major. Why? If this was our leadership for the past two years, would the department ever have the chance to fully thrive and develop as I knew it could?
Now, here I am, still a major in the department and still happy with my decision. So what prompted me to remain, if there was no actual support from those who ran my department? In assisting me in their own ways, Professors Todd Franklin, Shelley Haley, Nigel Westmaas, Reynaldo Ortiz and Angel Nieves helped me realize that a part does not constitute a whole. While leadership struggled, other professors within the department did what they could to actively work to support their majors, understanding how significant positive mentorship can impact students.
With mentorship and assistance, many of the majors and minors within the Africana Studies department have been able to do fantastic things, such as working on various research projects, winning competitions, and developing the necessary skills to thrive in a world outside Hamilton. However, can we credit that to past leadership? Unfortunately, I am of the belief that the leadership that has been present during my time at Hamilton has been struggling to find the necessary footholds and build the necessary relationships within the department and with their students to provide Hamilton with the Africana Studies department that it needs. Yet, effective March 11 of this year, leadership changed.
Currently Professor Todd Franklin, has assumed the role of chair of the Africana Studies department, a decision that I wholeheartedly agree with. Progress is made in small steps, and I believe Professor Franklin will do his best to work with his colleagues, majors and minors within the department to bolster the Africana Studies department’s reputation, caliber and significance to a campus like Hamilton’s to new heights. Having been a member of Brothers, an organization that Professor Franklin advises, and having been his student for multiple semesters, I know full well the level of dedication that he holds himself to in order to make sure that all those he interacts with prosper and grow. Do I believe that he will face some challenges, stepping into the department mid-year, especially considering that he is following after the past chairs? Yes, I do. Yet, I also believe that the Africana Studies department is better with a professor who can boldly say, “I do not trust your success in the hands of anyone else,” than in the hands of those who seem to work against the department rather than for it.