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AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

NEW DIRECTIONS Fall 2015—Spring 2016 Edition

Message from our Program Director, Jeanette Davidson

We’ve had another wonderful, successful year! First we welcomed my new

assistant, Eugene Smith, a man of many talents. Since he arrived, he has been

meeting and advising students, helping organize events, and has even started a

reading program for third graders in the OKC community! Of course, Ruth Gomez

continues as our office VIP. She always amazes me with how much work she gets

done! I am so appreciative of everything she does to help our students and

program. Thank you both!

This year was special as we honored our beloved Ashlee Madison by presenting the

first endowed scholarship in her name. Ashlee’s legacy will support students who

have a love of AFAM and the arts, over the decades to come.

Our program Making Black Lives Matter: From# Hashtags to Action! with the

esteemed Benjamin Crump Esq., Stephanie Frederic, Damario Solomon-Simmons

Esq. and our own adjunct instructor, Melvin Hall Esq., was a huge success. We had

standing room only, an overflow room and live streaming, so literally reached hundreds of people. In addition to

students, faculty members, deans and vice presidents, we had many attendees from the community. This of course is

particularly important to the mission of African and African American Studies.

So the work continues!

AFAM STUDY ABROAD COURSE

AFAM 4010 Black Men and Political Economy: Masculinity in Jamaica - Graham

ENGL 4970 Black Women: Afro-Caribbean Literature, Cultural Expression and Self-Love - John This year, we are excited to announce the first Jamaica study abroad opportunity available for our students. Black Men

and Political Economy: Masculinity in Jamaica will be taught by Dr. Greg Graham. Black Women: Afro-Caribbean

Literature, Cultural Expression and Self-Love will be taught by Dr. Catherine John. This six credit study abroad

program will begin with two weeks in Kingston and then move to Woodside Village in St. Mary parish, followed by

time in the seaside town of Lucea in Hanover parish, which is the final program component. The focus of this

opportunity is to examine several aspects of Caribbean culture, with this year's focus being on Jamaica. Participants

will experience Jamaica in a variety of ways: living on a university campus, residing with a host family in a small rural

community, interacting with residents in a seaside town and hearing guest lectures by authors and members of the

communities where they live.

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On Nov. 23, the College of Arts and Sciences

and African and African American Studies

Program had the privilege of hosting Attorneys

Benjamin Crump, Melvin Hall and Damario

Solomon-Simmons. The panel discussion was

moderated by Stephanie Frederic, executive

producer of FGW and Transmedia Productions.

Crump is perhaps best known to the public as the

legal representative of the families of Trayvon

Martin, Michael Brown and Tamir Rice. Hall and

Solomon-Simmons practice at the Riggs Abney

Law and both are OU alumni. Melvin Hall is an

adjunct instructor in the AFAM program. He

currently teaches a course on Civil Rights Law.

Solomon-Simmons is a graduate of the AFAM

program and a former lecturer.

The panelists discussed topics that ranged from

police accountability, community action, mass

incarceration and the importance of education.

The event proved to be filled with passion and

energy as the audience members engaged in lively

discussion using their own experiences. The

panelists were able to open the discussion to also

address sexual assault of African American

women. Crump encouraged the students of color

to “go to a place where your people

need to see you.” Solomon-

Simmons recapped the current case

of Monroe Bird III and discussed

how the DA has failed to follow

proper procedures in Bird’s case.

Jeanette Davidson wrapped up the

event by stating that it was

incredible to witness such an

exchange of ideas between the

audience and the panelists. She

noted we were left moved, informed, instructed

and inspired. We left as dreamers for a better

tomorrow. She also suggested that we are ready

for political action to be better activists with a

better strategy to make our dreams a reality. Arts

and Sciences Dean Kelly Damphousse, Journalism

Dean Ed Kelly, Vice President for University

Community Jabar Shumate and Oklahoma State

Senator Anastasia Pittman joined us for this

important conversation.

From left, Stephanie Frederic, Benjamin Crump,

Melvin Hall and Damario Solomon-Simmons.

Making Black Lives Matter:

From #Hashtags to Action!

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We are proud to announce that our students have

been going to Edwards Elementary School to

tutor 3rd graders! The students from AFAM

classes continue to participate in a community

service project during the academic year of 2015-

2016. The overall purpose of Adopting Edwards

program is to provide 3rd graders with additional

support to improve their reading ability. Our

main objective is to increase scores on the

reading comprehension section of the state-

mandated 3rd grade reading test. Our students

work directly with the students at Edwards

elementary school on a one on one basis. Our

goal is simple: help them read and comprehend

what they are reading. So far, 20 students from

OU have participated in this program.

AFAM Black Film Festival

Day of Service at Edwards Elementary

OU Football’s Charles Tapper Visits Edwards Elementary

AFAM celebrated Black History Month with the art of Black actors, directors, producers and independent films. We

had the pleasure of hosting Ebony Iman Dallas, a local artist in Oklahoma City, as a guest lecturer on Feb 24.

Ebony’s work celebrates the beauty of women who fight back against in tragedy.

Students at Edwards Elementary had a big day on Dec. 14 when OU’s defensive end Charles

Tapper came to visit! Charles, an AFAM major, talked about his life growing up in Baltimore,

his passion for reading and his career goals. The percentage of black boys at Edwards is 46

percent, so it was exciting to have a positive male influence on the students at Edwards.

Ebony Iman Dallas

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On Nov. 18, AFAM awarded Carey J. Flack with the inaugural Ashlee T. Madison Freedom Scholarship.

Ashlee was a dynamic individual, who commanded an audience with her beautiful singing even at an early

age. During her short life she performed as a soloist as well as a member of various musical groups, often

appearing in front of large crowds. She appeared in a major motion picture, enjoyed modeling, song writing,

painting and photography. Ashlee was an excellent student academically. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts

degree in African and African American Studies in December 2009.

Ashlee T. Madison Scholarship

OU African and African American Studies Program Presents a Lecture with Senior Advisor Khalilah Harris - Chasing Equity: Race and Post-

Obama America

Khalilah Harris, senior adviser to the director of the U.S. Office of

Personnel Management, presented “Chasing Equity: Race and Post-

Obama America” on Friday, April 1 at OU. The lecture was held in

the J.J. Rhyne Community Room, Zarrow Hall. A reception

followed.

Harris provides leadership for a range of critical issues supporting

the recruitment, retention and engagement of a high-quality federal

workforce, including diversity and inclusion, labor management,

workforce reform and strategic communications. Previously, she

served as the first deputy director of the White House Initiative on

Educational Excellence for African Americans, established by

President Obama in 2012.

Ashlee Madison Carey J. Flack and Lisa Madison

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Jeanette Davidson

Congratulations to Dr. Jeanette Davidson for being inducted into

the Ankh Maat Wedjau Honor Society of The National Council

For Black Studies.

Recipients of this award affirm their commitment to the principles

of the Ankh, which are to uphold the sacredness of life, and the

dignity and right of the human person through their scholarship

and service. They also affirm their commitment to the principles

of the Maat, which are the pursuit of truth and the defense of

justice through scholarship and practice. Finally, they affirm their

commitment to the principles of Wedjau, which are to bring,

sustain and increase good in the world so that people develop and

prosper in a realm of maximum human freedom and flourishing.

Awards and Recognition

Naa-Anorkor Abbey, Samuel McCann &

Marcellus Thurman

We would like to send a big congratulations to Naa-Anorkor

Abbey, Samuel J. McCann and Marcellus Thurman. Naa-

Anorkor and Samuel are recipients of the Raymond Gary

Scholarship. Marcellus Thurman was awarded the Wayne C.

Thompson Memorial Scholarship.

Seleena Smith

Congratulations to Seleena Smith for being awarded the Black

Girls Rock Shot Caller (Leadership) Award on Feb. 23.

Smith made her mark on campus as well as in the local and

surrounding communities. She is involved in academic, social,

and service endeavors that contribute to the betterment of the

African American/Black community and OU’s campus as a

whole.

Contact Us

Give us a call for

more information

about the AFAM

Program.

AFAM Offices

Physical Science

bldg. Room 517

(405) 325-2327

rsgomez@ou.edu

Visit us on the web at

www.cas.ou.edu/afam

African and African American Studies seeks to provide students with a

broad, interdisciplinary education inclusive of a focus on Africa and the

traditional areas of study of the African American Studies / Black Studies

discipline.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Shavonne Cleveland, AFAM Class of 2010

After graduating from OU in 2010, I pursued an alternative route to a teaching

certification for the state of Oklahoma. I substituted in Norman and Tulsa Public

Schools before I decided to relocate to New York in August of 2013 to pursue my

master’s of arts in Africana Studies at Stony Brook University.

It was always my intention after graduating with a BA in African/African American

Studies to move on to an MA in Africana as a bridge to a Ph.D. Having two degrees

in Black studies has made me more socially conscious of the various goings-on of

the world. Before attending OU, I had spent eight years in the U.S. Navy as a

journalist. I used my veteran’s education benefits to pay for both by undergraduate

and graduate degrees.

After graduating from Stony Brook in May, 2015, I immediately started an

internship at New York Public Radio in NYC. It lasted three months, and at the end

of the internship I was offered the chance to continue with WNYC as a freelance

reporter.

I believe my academic career in Black studies combined with my career as a

journalist will intertwine in such a way that impacts both the academy and offer

diverse perspectives of news within the media. My ultimate goal is to take what I’ve

learned and become an influential voice in the portrayal of diversity within the

media, whether it’s through radio, television or both. I believe the African American

studies major allows me to be more impactful in conveying news and information,

and if I had not had such a solid foundation and excellent professors at OU's AFAM

Studies program, I know I would not be where I am today. I plan on pursuing a

Ph.D. in AFAM or communications.

My advice for undergraduates is to maximize the moment. Absorb all the knowledge

you can while taking AFAM classes. The professors at OU are truly passionate

about what they teach and are true experts in the field. Ask questions and have an

open mind. In doing so, you'll create opportunities for yourself beyond your wildest

dreams.