“The essence of Blackness is complex and nuanced therefore this year’s theme, Nuance Noir(e), embraces the dynamic intersections of what it means to be Black. In spite of being faced with racism and hatred, the resilience and joy invigorates the rich culture that unites the Black community. Black is an inclusive term of African American, African, Afro-Latine, Afro-Caribbean, and all others who have African diasporic roots. Nuance Noir(e) is a matrix illustration of Blackness at the University of Oregon.”
– Dr. Aris Hall, Coordinator, Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Black History Month 2022: “The Best of Humanity”
by Malcolm Frierson (he/him), visiting assistant professor
Department of History
In 1924, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of Black History Month, told a group of Howard University students: “We are going back to that beautiful history, and it is going to inspire us to greater achievements.” Indeed, Black history demonstrates the best of humanity. Appreciation of the courage, resiliency, and triumph in the African American experience encourages transformational change in all who champion freedom and success.
Woodson spearheaded the creation of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the leading body of scholars dedicated to researching the African American experience. The organization’s theme for 2022 is “Black Health and Wellness,” apropos of the present global pandemic that has highlighted the historical and continuing inequities in resources available to African American communities.
Despite seemingly insurmountable challenges, African Americans have long protected their health and wellness while fighting for freedom through self-help lifeways, such as community organizations, family units, and religion. Black culture can be understood as a necessary tool of survival in this context.
As we honor the rich history of African descendants in the US and globally, may we be moved to protect the well-being of ourselves and others, and inspired by Woodson’s challenge to study, promote, and celebrate the contributions of our forebears in pursuit of even greater achievements.
Malcolm Frierson, PhD (he/him)
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of History
Getting Connected on Campus
by Bajanae Landrum, Class of 2022
Major: biological anthropology
Minor: Black Studies
I came to the UO as a transfer student in 2019. The University of Oregon has always been a dream of mine to attend. But before coming to the UO I had a lot of mixed emotions because I didn’t know what to expect or how I would be treated as a Black woman attending a predominantly caucasian university. While now this is my third year at the UO, I have faced many challenges within myself and on campus. Because of those challenges I’ve faced, I felt like I didn’t belong and I felt as if I was never going to accomplish my dreams of completing my undergrad at the UO. I had a moment when I did want to give up but I started getting connected on campus. I found a lot of comfort in leaning on my advisors and on my family for support. I am so grateful for the connections I have made with the advisors on campus from the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE), Student Support Services (SSS) which is funded by TRIO which is also on campus, and Financial Aid & Scholarships. I have always been a person that never wanted to go out of my comfort zone and look for help from other people besides my family and people I was comfortable with but connecting and meeting some of these advisors have helped my experience much better and the experiences and the knowledge that I’ve gained from connecting with them is something that I will keep with me forever.
Alumni
Anthony Trucks, BS ’08, is a former Ducks and NFL football player, and is now an author, coach, speaker, and podcaster. Read and listen to Shift Method, an unfiltered look at his struggles, disappointments, and personal and professional successes, and how he is inspiring others.
The UO Black Alumni Reunion is happening September 20—October 2, 2022.
Black Studies Program
Ellis Mimms – Class of ’22
Major: Physics
Minor: Black Studies
“’I get so much energy and so much excitement from just being able to pour into people and help build up a Black community on campus.”
“Today Mimms is one of the co-directors of the Black Male Alliance, the Student Lead for Leadership and Outreach at the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center, and the Chairman for the Alliance of Black Student Organizations.”
Black Studies Student Spotlight Page
Black Studies Classes
Winter 2022
| Course | Course Title | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| ES 250 | Introduction to African American Studies | Cheney C. |
| HIST 250 | African American History | Frierson M. |
| ES210 | Topic: Race/Sex/Hip Hop | Cheney C. |
| ES 310 | Afrofuturism | Skowron E. |
| ENG 360 | African American Writers | Thorsso C. |
| ES 399 | The Black Atlantic | Foster C. |
| GLBL 415 | Global Story of Race | Weaver J. |
| ES440 | Queer Ethnic Literature | Martinez E. |
| HIST 471 | African American History 1877: Civil Rights Movement | Frierson M. |
| GLBL 515 | Global Story of Race | Weaver J. |
| ES 542 | Caribbean Literature and Politics | Foster C. |
Spring 2022
| Course | Course Title | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 241 | Introduction to African American Literature | |
| ENG 468 | Ethnic Literature: Black Rebellions | |
| ES 399 | Special Studies in Racialized Communities | Velez Rodriguez |
| HIST 471 | Harlem Renaissance | Frierson |
| PHIL 452 | Philosophy and Race | Russell |
Supporting the Community
Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
The LRP BCC has a strong desire to bring attention to the disparities within the Black community and wants to continue to move the needle and contribute to the recruitment and retention of Black students, faculty, and staff, as well as matriculation of Black students, in spite of the systemic racism and injustice not only on this campus but within the US.”
- Dr. Aris Hall, Coordinator, Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
The Black Strategies Group
- Marcus Langford, Dean of Students
Black National Anthem:
Lift Every Voice and Sing
Public Plea: Interrogating Oregon’s Measure 11
When Ricky Gaters was arrested in Portland at age 17, Oregon’s Measure 11 was still in effect. A holdover from the state’s “tough on crime” era, the law’s mandatory minimum sentencing and treatment of juveniles as adults had a disproportionate impact on communities of color.
Three years ago, the law was reformed—but Gaters and many others are still serving time because of it.
After spending more than a year investigating Measure 11’s ongoing damage to communities of color, a team of University of Oregon alumni and students chronicled their discoveries in Public Plea, a television documentary and five-part podcast series produced with collaborative support from Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Oregonian, and Willamette Week.
“Following the George Floyd tragedy, like many Americans, I asked myself how I might contribute to the public conversation about criminal justice and possible reforms,” said executive producer Ed Madison, an associate professor at the School of Journalism and Communication. “That’s when I discovered Oregon’s Measure 11 and its adverse impact on communities of color.”
The series chronicles Gaters’ quest for a postconviction relief while examining juvenile justice issues through a variety of lenses. The podcast is available at PublicPlea.net, and the documentary will air on OPB on February 7 at 9:00 p.m.
Film Screenings
"Talking Black in America"
Film screening and discussion
February 8, 2022, 5:00–7:00 p.m.
156 Straub Hall
Presented by the Department of Linguistics
“[The film] portrays the unique circumstances that shaped the language variety now spoken by the descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the US and this group’s incredible impact on American life and language.”
"Signing Black in America"
Film screening and discussion
February 15, 5:00–7:00 p.m.
156 Straub Hall
Presented by the Department of Linguistics
“The first documentary about Black ASL: the unique dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) that developed within historically segregated African American Deaf communities. Black ASL today conveys an identity and sense of belonging that mirrors spoken language varieties of the African American hearing community.”
BE Sports with Drake Hills
February 22, 2022
6:00–7:30 p.m.
Drake Hills is a Major League Soccer reporter for the USA TODAY Network and is based in Nashville. Drake covers Nashville SC in MLS, the Black Players for Change coalition and international soccer. He is a 2018 alumnus of the University of Oregon and School of Journalism and Communication and is driven by telling Black stories within the realm of soccer to illuminate the representation of Black men and women in the sport, while advocating for affordable and resourceful opportunities for Black youth to participate. Drake is passionate about sport, race, and culture and will discuss his work as it pertains to intersectionality in sport and his pathway into the sports media industry.
Instagram: @drakehillssoccer
Facebook: drakehillssoccer
Linkedin: Drake Hills
Twitter: @LiveLifeDrake
Visiting Artist Lecture Series
Lezley Saar: “Surrealism, Symbolism, and Significance”
February 3, 2022. 4:00 p.m.
Virtual event
Free
Presented by the Department of Art and Center for Art Research, cosponsored by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
More information and event registration
Lezley Saar will talk about her series Anomalies, Mulatto Nation, Autist’s Fables, Madwoman in the Attic, Monad, Gender Renaissance, A Conjuring of Conjurors, and Black Garden, and the various themes that deal with notions of race, gender, sanity, literature, heritage, escapism, and marginalization. Saar’s work Miss Pearly, The Transcontinental Mind Reader was presented in JSMA’s 2020–21 “Common Seeing” exhibition LOOK. Listen. Learn. Act.
Black History Month 2022:
Beyond Symbolism
by Yvette Alex-Assensoh, vice president for Equity and Inclusion
Black History Month doesn’t exist in a vacuum. A year ago this time, we found ourselves wrapped up in the aftermath of two historic moments illustrating the competing visions for the future of our country…
Related Stories