Faculty

African American and African Studies Faculty Leaders to Deliver Keynote Address at Inaugural MLK Student Symposium

January 15, 2025

The inaugural MLK Student Symposium that is set to take place on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the MSU Union will give students the chance to discuss the challenges faced within systemic barriers, to share their experiences, express their identities, and promote inspiration for change. The keynote speakers for this event are Department of African American and African Studies faculty leaders Ruth Nicole Brown and LeConté Dill.

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Health / News / U.S. Impact

Ask the Expert: How Are Mental Health and Wellness Connected?

May 17, 2024

Mental health has become a part of wellness discussions in schools, workplaces, and health care organizations. In higher education, there has been a greater focus…

AAHD / African American and African Studies / English / Faculty / Linguistics / Religious Studies / Staff / Theatre

College Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

September 19, 2023

The College of Arts & Letters welcomes 45 new full-time faculty and staff members this Fall 203 Semester. These faculty and staff members were recognized during the 2023 Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception, which was held on Sept. 18.

African American and African Studies / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / News

MSU African American and African Studies ‘Unicorns’ Drive Black Futures Beyond Survival Into Wellness

April 11, 2022

The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) was initially founded as a Ph.D. granting program in 2002. On July 1, 2019, AAAS became a department. In Spring 2020, MSU appointed Ruth Nicole Brown the inaugural chair.

African American and African Studies / Faculty / Faculty / News / Programs / Staff

Sonic Introductions Reflect Love of Self, Community, and AAAS

February 4, 2022

The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) faculty wish to motivate and inspire others by sharing, through personally created Sonic Introductions, what inspires…

Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

Scholar-Educator, Writer, and Performer Joins AAAS as an Academic Specialist

November 1, 2021

Among the first generation on her mother’s side born outside the Jim Crow South and the first generation on her father’s side born outside Ghana,…

Faculty / Faculty / News / Research

Poet, Educator, and Public Health Change Agent Joins AAAS Department

October 21, 2021

A community-accountable scholar, educator, and poet, LeConté Dill joined MSU’s Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) on September 16, 2021, as an Associate Professor of Black…

Faculty / Faculty / News / Research

Award-Winning Author, Filmmaker, and Scholar Joins AAAS Department

October 18, 2021

A scholar, cultural critic, and award-winning author and documentary filmmaker, Trimiko Melancon joined MSU’s Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) on September 13, 2021, as a…

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / News

AAAS Department Welcomes Three New Faculty Members

August 23, 2021

The Department of African American and African Studies will welcome three new faculty members as the 2021-2022 academic year begins. In September 2021, Trimiko Melancon, LeConté Dill, and Gianina Lockley will join this new department within the College of Arts & Letters. 

Faculty

Podcast: Storytelling in Our Communities

January 28, 2019

On the latest episode of The Liberal Arts Endeavor, a podcast by Michigan State University's College of Arts & Letters, host Dean Christopher P. Long discusses…

Awards / Faculty

Early Career Award Honors Baker-Bell for Language and Literacy Work with Black Youth

April 17, 2018

As a high school English teacher in Detroit, April Baker-Bell says she felt ill-prepared to address her Black students' language and literacy needs and found…

Faculty

Inspiring First-Generation Students Through Literature

August 1, 2017

Yomaira Figueroa Assistant Professor of Global African Diaspora StudiesDepartment of English Raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants, Yomaira Figueroa thought college was…