It’s an especially golden anniversary for Northwestern University’s Department of African American Studies.
Celebrating its 50th year in 2022, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences-housed department has grown into one of the nation’s premier academic homes for the study of Black lives, hosting internationally renowned faculty, robust research, and a swelling number of alumni who inject their education into their professional roles as well as their homes, philanthropy, and civic engagement.
“We are thriving,” assures Mary Pattillo, chair of the Department of African American Studies and the Harold Washington Professor of Sociology and African American Studies.
A department’s origins
The department’s founding during the 1971-1972 academic year arrived after rising Black enrollment at U.S. universities, accelerating calls for greater Black representation on the Northwestern campus, and surging student activism, including a takeover of Northwestern’s Bursar’s office on May 3, 1968. The latter event, in particular, ignited more intentional movement toward Black Studies courses covering topics such as slavery and Reconstruction as well as Black history, culture, and literature.
Video below: Commemoration of the Northwestern’s Bursar’s Office Takeover on May 3, 1968
Representatives of FMO and AASU met with members of the administration to discuss the terms of the “May 4th Agreement.” Enlarged view of the article here. Source: Daily Northwestern Vol. 88 No. 101 May 6, 1968
The Bursar’s Office Takeover resulted in the “May 4th Agreement,” as it is popularly known. Representatives of For Members Only (FMO), a Black student organization, and African-American Student Union (AASU) met with members of the Northwestern University administration to discuss and draft the terms of the “May 4th Agreement.” This pivotal event made an enduring impact on the course of the University.
According to the Northwestern University Archives, the takeover helped spur progress, ranging from increasing Black student enrollment and financial aid to revised housing policies and the expansion of “studies of Black history and Black culture,” among others.
After the University’s board of trustees approved the creation of a Department of African American Studies in October 1971, the department formally launched five months later with Lerone Bennett Jr. as its founding chair. Pattillo considers the creation of a department, rather than a program, a significant foundational step.
“The students wisely fought for a department, a critical move that allowed for the hiring of tenured faculty and the formulation of a major,” Pattillo says. “Given the youth of these individuals, I stand in awe of their courage, vision, and what they accomplished.”
The upstart department, however, endured a rocky start. Bennett abruptly resigned months into his role due to a lack of autonomy while FMO led a boycott of African American studies courses to protest the lack of student involvement in the department’s direction.
Administration and faculty pledged a more earnest focus on collaboration. Within a decade, the department had established a major in African American studies to, in the words of Professor Leon Forrest, “match the zeal of Black struggle with the highest standards of thought.”
Finding its footing
Though the Department of African American Studies captured some notable achievements throughout its first 25 years, Pattillo says it also faced continuous periods of flowering and languishing. When she arrived at Northwestern in 1998, a thin faculty roster struggled to compile and teach a relevant selection of courses.
“Only the dedication and commitment of those faculty members, adjunct professors, and graduate students got it done,” Pattillo says.
Dr. Darlene Clark Hine was appointed the Board of Trustees Professor of African American Studies in 2004 and presented with the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama in 2014.
As Weinberg College administration devoted more resources to the department, however, it blossomed.
In 2004, for instance, Dr. Darlene Clark Hine was appointed the Board of Trustees Professor of African American Studies and History. Widely known as the dean of African American women’s history, Clark captured the National Humanities Medal in 2014 before retiring from Northwestern in 2017.
The department also introduced its PhD program in 2006, the nation’s seventh doctoral program in African American studies. To mark its 40th anniversary in 2012 and celebrate its first PhD graduates, the department hosted “A Beautiful Struggle,” a spirited academic conference attended by graduate students and faculty from across the U.S.
“The conference announced our arrival at a time of relatively few PhD programs in African American studies,” Pattillo says. “We were entering into select company and well- resourced enough to support undergraduate majors as well as graduate students.”
50 years – and beyond
Today, the Department of African American Studies trains 33 undergraduate majors and minors as well as 25 PhD students. It also features 14 faculty members, many of whom carry joint appointments providing the department a bridge to fields such as history, English, and performance studies. Yet more, the department regularly sponsors lively programming, such as speakers and multiple lecture series, often in tandem with campus partners like the Office of the Provost and the Gender & Sexuality Studies Program.
“We are an active and important intellectual node on the Northwestern campus,” Pattillo says.
And a department, she adds, with a bright future propelled by ambitious curriculum, engaged students, inquisitive faculty, and an enterprising focus on crafting deeper relationships with partners on and off campus.
“There’s immense potential to build partnerships outside the University with Evanston and Chicago as well as the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities and international scholars,” Pattillo says.
Throughout the 2021-2022 academic year, the department has been celebrating the scholarship, teaching, and service of its first five decades through various on-campus and virtual events. The year-long celebration culminates on May 20 with a hybrid event titled “AFAM @ 50: Extending Our Reach.”
Timeline: Department of African American Studies throughout the years (1968 – Present)
Below, explore historic documents, articles, and formative moments on the interactive timeline. For the most optimal experience, view the fullscreen timeline here.
Video below: African American Studies marks 50 years