The assistant professor in Pitt's Department of Africana Studies won the 2024 Lerner-Scott Prize.

Michele Reid-Vazquez, associate professor of Africana Studies, has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for Higher Education grant for her proposed institute, “Transnational Dialogues in Afro-Latin American and Afro-Latinx Studies.” The two-week event will host 25 higher education faculty who will bring a transnational perspective to Afro-Latin American and Afro-Latinx cultures in the U.S.

A recent panel discussion dove into the history of emancipation and the influence it’s had on Black families in Pittsburgh and beyond.

The collection comprises approximately 150 boxes, which include correspondence, writing tablets, photographs, scripts, audio and video recordings, awards and more. The acquisition adds to Black voices collections held by the University Library System.

This first-generation college student felt welcomed from the moment she set foot on campus. She’s worked to elevate equity and social justice to make the University community even more welcoming for all. Read more about senior Destiny Harrison-Griffin’s inspiration.

Special honors were given this week to Pitt’s Center on Race and Social Problems and Department of Africana Studies Chair Yolanda Covington-Ward, who led the development of Pitt’s new Anti-Black Racism course.

A pilot program that connects students in an Introduction to Africana Studies course to residents in the Hill District is helping create a bridge from the University to the community.

The syllabus, lectures and reading lists from “Anti-Black Racism: History, Ideology, and Resistance” are now available to anyone interested in taking the virtual Pitt course.

When senior Blya Krouba moved from Ivory Coast to a Philadelphia suburb as a girl, she became acutely aware of her dark skin in a way she hadn’t before. Read about her recent project exploring colorism and hear two Pitt experts’ takes on the phenomenon.

From conducting self-led research on environmental justice to interviewing prominent Black Lives Matter activists Bree Newsome Bass and Darnell L. Moore for Pitt’s new anti-racism course, senior Oluchi Okafor is making their mark on vital contemporary issues.