Universities Cut Black Studies Programs
An opinion column cites recent closures and mergers of African American studies units at several universities, linking the trend to low degree numbers and
Black studies programs are being closed or merged at universities including the University of Iowa, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Kansas. Others, such as Kennesaw State University, the University of Toledo, and Indiana University at Bloomington, have eliminated or begun phasing out majors and degrees, according to a report cited in an Inside Higher Ed column.
Declining enrollments, anti-DEI policies, and federal budget cuts are cited as justifications. Todd Wallack noted in a Washington Post article that U.S. colleges awarded fewer than 700 African American Studies degrees in each of the past three years, the lowest levels in two decades. The column's author questions whether insufficient institutional effort to promote the field is a factor.
The Campus Climate for Black Students
In qualitative campus climate studies conducted by the author, a recurring appraisal from Black students, faculty, and staff is that "This university does not care about Black people." For years, students have identified Black studies courses and Black culture centers as primary sites for affirmation and culturally relevant learning. These spaces help students recover from experiences of being one of few Black people in a class, microaggressions, and overt racism.
The author contends that defunding or eliminating Black studies will worsen racial inequities in student persistence and outcomes on predominantly white campuses. Such actions would most negatively affect Black students, a trend that could be tracked in broader institutional stats.
A History of Resistance and Underfunding
The formal creation of Black studies on campuses is attributed to student protests in the 1960s at institutions like Merritt College and San Francisco State College. Black student activists demanded courses and programs where everyone could learn about Black history and culture. Institutional resistance was common. Many invested the bare minimum in infrastructure and faculty for the earliest programs, a pattern the author states has largely persisted. Black studies has always operated without sufficient resources.
The Author's Personal Investment
The column outlines six personal reasons for valuing the field. First, the author, Black for 50 years, demands full inclusion, not scraps. Second, they love America enough to insist its full truths, including what it did and does to Black people, be taught. Black studies is trusted most for this curricular integrity.
Third, the author values smart people, noting many top Black scholars teach in Black studies at elite institutions and HBCUs. During a decade on the University of Pennsylvania faculty, one of their three appointments was in Africana studies. They are now a member of the Black Studies Center at the University of Southern California, arguing its work merits departmental status, a fundamental shift in its institutional standings.
Fourth, Black studies is deeply interdisciplinary, and institutions claiming to value interdisciplinarity should recognize it as an exemplar. Fifth, Black studies faculty accept educational responsibility for all students, ensuring they do not enter society with racist misunderstandings.
The sixth and most important reason is a love for Black elders. Black studies is an enduring treasure fought for by Black Americans since the 1960s. The author concludes that it will be Black people who fight for and ultimately save Black studies, and they will continue working to ensure these programs and the people within them are valued.
