(Photo taken from skidmore.edu)
After decades of students and staff members pushing for the development of a new program that would recognize the importance of global Black experiences both historically and contemporarily, it has finally come into fruition.
Recently, with the construction of the new Center in Case and the launch of the Black Studies Program, Skidmore is aiming to expand its presence in the field of multicultural studies and inclusion.
Although this is a long-overdue initiative, the new Black Studies program will add substantially to Skidmore’s academia, according to its faculty.
The Director of the Black Studies Program, Professor Winston Grady-Willis, stated that “Skidmore cannot address discussion about diversity and inclusion without talking about the curriculum itself.” It is essential that Skidmore's academia upholds the values of diversity that the college advocates, rather than the facilitation of challenging discussions only existing in the space of Skidmore’s extracurriculars.
Appointed to his position in July of last year, Grady-Willis remarks that Skidmore has fallen behind other alike institutions in terms of establishing a Black or Africana Studies curriculum. In November 2019, Vassar College held a three-day conference in celebration of the 50th year of their Africana Studies Program.
In the past three years, Skidmore’s Committee for Intercultural and Global Understanding has established the momentum for the program’s development and launch. Today, they are working alongside those involved in the new Black Studies Program to pass the coordinating minor through the college’s approval process.
Crafting the minor has been a collaborative one between students, staff members, and faculty. Last semester, there were six brainstorming sessions dedicated to the fine-tuning of the expectations for the curriculum.
The minor will consist of six courses designed around three fundamental pillars: academics, scholarship, and community engagement. There will be three core Black Studies courses existing in the newly established department. Then, students will also have the opportunity to choose three other electives that will live in other departments but count towards the minor.
All of the minor will stem from the essential discussions that occur in the Introduction to Black Studies course – otherwise known as BST101. Grady-Willis, who has been teaching in the Black Studies department, describes the class as a robust introduction to and overview of Black Studies, including its historical and theoretical underpinnings as an interdisciplinary field of study.
He has seen the tremendous success of his students in this introductory class, describing them as “especially engaged with the course material.” He went on to say that his students are actively leaning into challenging issues about identity, and learning that being comfortable with disagreeing opinions is an innate aspect of humanity.
The development of this program and minor raises the importance of academic freedom for each Skidmore student. There should be a space for students to experience meaningful yet challenging dialogues in a safe, intellectual space. The Black Studies program aims to achieve this initiative.
Having previously taught Africana Studies at other institutions, Grady-Willis states that “Black studies will provide the Skidmore community with a more formal way to acknowledge the importance of global African communities to the history-making of the world.”
Skidmore’s addition of a Black Studies program will allow the college to have a greater presence in the discussions of race, class, and gender throughout the Capital District.
Grady-Willis wants to ensure that the Skidmore student body understands that “irrespective of any student’s background, Black Studies is for them.” Fundamentally, he is proud that “Black studies can make its way to Skidmore because of the vitality of Skidmore students.”
In the coming weeks, Skidmore News hopes to gather more perspectives from students and faculty members involved in the new Black Studies Program and the development of the minor.