Africana Studies | Penn Today

Meeting of minds

With the Penn Alumni Reading Club, the Center for Africana Studies delivers intellectual engagement directly to alumni—and the public.

The new canon: What’s the most influential book of the past 20 years?

On a list of most influential books, PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts’ Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty was described as an “interdisciplinary tour de force” that contains “more than a few lessons for our current moment.”

The Healing Word

Deborah Thomas embeds herself in communities stricken by violence to chronicle the humanity revealed during the aftermath.

Penn names inaugural faculty co-directors of the Office of Penn First Plus Students

University of Pennsylvania Provost Wendell Pritchett has announced the appointments of Camille Charles and Robert Ghrist as the inaugural faculty co-directors of the Office of Penn First Plus Students.

Incoming freshman experience college and community ahead of first semester

In its 32nd year, the weeklong Africana Studies Summer Institute brought 65 incoming freshmen to campus in July, introducing them to the program’s courses, professors, graduate students, and fellow undergraduates.

Q&A

Camille Z. Charles on the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act

Camille Z. Charles, professor of sociology, Africana studies, and education, and director of the Center for Africana Studies, talks about residential segregation and the promises and failures of the Fair Housing Act in light of the legislation’s 50th anniversary.

Penn Africana Studies and Sociology Professor Tukufu Zuberi

Centennial of Nelson Mandela’s birth

It has been 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela, elected as South Africa’s first black president after being imprisoned by the apartheid government for nearly three decades. Penn Professor Tukufu Zuberi of the School of Arts and Sciences discusses Mandela’s legacy and his continuing impact today.

Leading from within: Madison Dawkins brings health and mindfulness to prison

Rising senior Madison Dawkins created an independent study focused on health and mindfulness with the women at the Riverside Correctional Facility.

Q&A

Q&A with Mary Frances Berry:  “History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times”

The civil rights activist, historian, and author discusses her new book “History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times.”

Examining the roots of racial discrimination

In his book ‘The Spectre of Race,’ Michael Hanchard explores xenophobia, racism, marginalization, and exclusionary policies dating back to ancient Greece.

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