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A BIANNUAL JOURNAL

OF THE CENTER FOR

AFRICAN AMERICAN

STUDEIS

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Thursday, May 2nd, was focused on student enrichment models and

best practices for success. Friday, May 3rd, was focused on

community-based research conducted across the country. The

conference had several keynote speeches and panel presentations that

examined social and policy issues (e.g., education, health, social class,

criminal justice) that impact Blacks in America and concluded with a

community forum with local representatives discussing Dallas/Fort

Worth Metroplex race matters.

Don’t forget to Save the Date for the 2nd Annual Conference on

February 14-15, 2014!

The Center for African

American Studies (CAAS)

was thrilled to host so many

fantastic speakers at our

Inaugural Conference,

Critical Issues in Black

Studies: Race in Context!

The purpose of the CAAS

Conference was to profile

progressive research and

program development focused

on the diverse conditions of

African Americans.

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A BIANNUAL JOURNAL

OF THE CENTER FOR

AFRICAN AMERICAN

STUDEIS

Schnavia Hatcher, PhD,

MSW Director

Hadia Miller, BA Program Assistant

Christopher Woolen

(Exercise Science, Senior)

Student Assistant

Yvonne Williams

(Criminology &

Criminal Justice, Senior) Student Assistant

Dorothea Ivey, BA

(Pursuing MSW & MPA)

Student Associate

AFFILIATE FACULTY

2012-2013

Faculty Fellows

Dr. Ifeoma Amah Educational Leadership &

Policy Studies

Dr. Robert Bing Criminology & Criminal

Justice

Dr. Eusebius Small Social Work

Dr. Sonja Watson Modern Languages

Faculty Associates

Dr. Ben Agger Sociology & Anthropology

Dr. Krystal Beamon Sociology & Anthropology

Dr. Myrtle P. Bell Management

Dr. Joan Blakey Social Work

Dr. Elten Briggs Marketing

Dr. Marvin Dulaney History

Dr. Cedrick May English

Dr. Jason Shelton

Sociology & Anthropology

Contents:

3 Accomplishments

4 Faculty Spotlight

6 Student Engagement

8 Community Engagement: Inaugural CAAS Conference

9 Curriculum

10 Calendar of Events

11 Give to CAAS

ear CAAS family,

It has been a phenomenal first year of existence- and we're not done yet! With the mission to cultivate an exceptional transdisciplinary experience through teaching, civic engagement, and community-based research focused on the diverse contextual conditions of African Americans, we continue to move forward making a positive impact on campus and in the community.

Activities and accomplishments in core components for academic year 2012- 2013 include:

Curriculum and Instruction

* Offered AAST 2300- Intro to African American Studies in Spring 2013

* Created three (3) additional undergraduate AAST courses: Special Topics; Conference; Capstone for Minors

* Created one (1) graduate AAST course: Conference * Offered graduate internships * Developed 28 AAST elective courses that are cross-listed with

other units

Research and Policy Analysis Incorporated four (4) research fellows into the unit from: Criminology and Criminal Justice, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Social Work, and Modern Languages

Research projects focused on: * Education * HIV and AIDS * Race, Class, and Crime Racial Identity * Substance Abuse/Mental Health

Your donations, both in- kind and financially, make it possible for us to continue to build the infrastructure that will enlighten, inspire

and empower student, faculty and staff, and community stakeholders to drive social change within the Black community specifically

and the broader society generally.

I look forward to seeing you in 2013- 2014.

All the best,

Schnavia

Schnavia Smith Hatcher, PhD, MSW Director

Community Engagement

Student Outreach *Hired undergraduate student assistants from: Criminal Justice, Exercise Science, Physics *Launched first cohort of students in the Emerging Scholars Program: 16 females; 13 males Activities included:

Monthly group workshops and individual meetings

Community service

Reflection assignments

Peer mentor experience

End of year projects and presentations *Organized one (1) Student Kickball challenge *Served as faculty/staff advisor on five (5) student groups on campus

Community Outreach

*Organized five (5) scholarly lectures focused on prevalent social problems *Hosted an Evening of Authors showcasing published works from CAAS affiliate faculty *Cosponsored several events with other units on campus *Coordinated and hosted the Inaugural Research Conference, Critical Issues in Black Studies: Race in Context

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As the nation remembered Juneteenth, or June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers enforced the Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining slaves in Texas, the Texas State Historical Association launched The Handbook of African American Texas with the help of History Department chair, Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney. The state historical association invited Dr. Dulaney, to write the lead essay and other significant portions of the new online handbook. He authored entries for the organization’s pioneering Handbook of Texas 17 years ago. Dr. Dulaney is a CAAS Faculty Affiliate.

Congratulations to Dr. Sonja Watson, assistant Professor of Spanish, on the acceptance of her book length manuscript, Dark Skin Panama: The Cultural Politics of Race in Afro-Panamanian Literary Discourse ! It has been accepted for publication with the University Press of Florida.This is a great accomplishment and we look forward to the release Summer 2014!

Dr. Sonja Watson is an Assistant Professor of Spanish within the Department

of Modern Languages.

Dr. Watson is a CAAS Faculty Fellow.

(L) Jim Austin (Jim Austin Co.) & Tyrone Smith (Business

graduate student) connected at the CAAS Inaugural

Conference. Smith is now an intern for The Jim Austin

Company and Jim Austin Online.

CAAS looks forward to working with both of them at the

National Day of the American Cowboy Celebration July 26-28!

(For more information about the event see p. 10)

Please let us know if you have made a CAAS Connection too!

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What motivated you to pursue the current focus of your career?

I have been pursuing a career as an instructor/teacher/professor of African American history since I was 17 years old. It was

at that time, after twelve years of primary and secondary education, that I discovered how uneducated I was. I was a good student, but I did not know any- thing about African or African American history. Thus, I made teaching the African-American experience to as many people as possible my major life goal.

What are your greatest challenges as an African American in your profession?

The challenges as an African American in my profession have changed over the years. At first, I faced the challenge of proving to the professors with whom I worked in graduate school that African American history was a legitimate field of inquiry and that research in the field required as much rigor, analysis, and scholarly work as any other discipline. When I started teaching African-American history, finding materials to support my instruction was very difficult. I spent a lot of time producing handouts and copying them on “ditto machines,”

as well as copying maps and images

from books in order to provide my

students a quality course. Thankfully, in

the last twenty years education- al

publishers and historical organizations

have done a lot to produce materials

(books, films, maps, slides, and other

teaching materials) to close the gap that

those of us who taught African American

history in the 1970s and 1980s faced in

the classroom.

Since the 1970s and 1980s, the

challenge has been to bring more people

who look like me into the profession.

There is still a dearth of African

Americans in academia and it has been

difficult to convince students that an

academic career is worth pursuing--given

the time that it takes to complete a Ph.D.,

to earn tenure, and to be successful in

any field in higher education. Too many

students who look like me want

immediate gratification and they have not

been willing to pursue a career that takes

a lot of time to complete.

What has been one of the

greatest rewards in your role

thus far?

My greatest rewards have been seeing

some of my students go forward and be

successful in their careers. Although I

have produced only two PhDs in

History (both of whom attended my

alma mater, Ohio State University), I

have quite a few, former students who

have become teachers, journalists,

attorneys, and professionals in a wide

variety of fields. They have made me

proud and I know that if I pass away

tomorrow, I have made some impact on

the lives of students who have taken

my classes, worked for me, and been

my mentees.

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During 2012-2013, CAAS launched its first cohort of

students (16 females; 13 males) in the Emerging

Scholars Program, an enrichment program for first-

year students.

The mission of the CAAS Emerging Scholars

Program is to develop and provide educational,

cultural, and social models of support that

strengthen the foundation of exploration and

learning for first year male and female students

interested in African American studies and/or

volunteering in the Black community. Activities

included: monthly group workshops and individual

meetings, reflection assignments, peer mentor

experience, end of year projects and conference

presentations.

CAAS Emerging Scholars Participants also

provided community service to 45

organizations/agencies totaling over 460 hours.

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“The CAAS program actually had the biggest

impact on me because it pushed me to do many

things as far as interacting and meeting new

people. It also made me get very involved by giving

back to the community.”

-Emerging Scholar 2012-13

My CAAS Experience

As the end of my

graduate study grew near, I contemplated heavily on where would

be the best place for me to complete my capstone internship. With

so many interesting options within the UT Arlington campus, I couldn’t

really settle on which place would be right for me. That was until I

found out that the dream of UT Arlington’s long awaited Center for

African American Studies was actually going to be realized. I knew

instantly that I wanted a chance to be a part of this venture.

I felt extremely fortunate that Dr. Hatcher granted me the opportunity

to intern with CAAS and see firsthand the amazing work that was

being done there. The agenda and plans for the first-year were

ambitious to say the least and I knew right away that CAAS was going

to make a huge impression on UT Arlington and its surrounding

communities.

One of my main responsibilities was to assist in the facilitation of the

Emerging Scholars Program. For me, this was an opportunity to work

with students in a very real, very effective way. I have always

believed that higher education is instrumental in changing

people’s trajectories. Being involved with this program allowed me to

be connected to this belief in a way that I had not before. It felt

awesome to be in some way a contributor to the success of several

first-year, African American students here at the University.

I can only hope that it was as impactful for the students as it was for

me. The experience helped me identify some of my strengths and

weaknesses as a higher education practitioner. It also reminded me

that there are times

when you have to move beyond the books and re-

search and remember that there are real lives and real

futures involved in our work and in our study. While working

with the ESP students, I learned to be more open-minded

and not to make assumptions, but more importantly, that

the work we do has great meaning and purpose.

I walked away from my internship experience feeling a

huge sense of accomplishment. I was more than thrilled

to have been a part of several firsts that had

occurred over the year, such as the Inaugural CAAS

Conference. I also felt like the Center’s research and

programming efforts demonstrated the importance of being

a change agent on our campus and in our community. I truly

appreciate having had the opportunity to observe and learn

from a very effective administrator and dynamic staff, but

more so, how to think big, shoot for the stars, and never

settle for mediocrity.

I am sure that CAAS will continue to grow and make an

even bigger impact at UT Arlington, in the surrounding

community and likely across the nation. CAAS’ mission to

‘enlighten, inspire, and empower’ will forever remain with

me as I venture toward the next steps in my career.

CONGRATULATIONS

CHAUNTE !

MASTER’S DEGREE IN EDUCATION –May 2013

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By: Chaunte’ White CAAS Graduate Intern, Spring 2013

(picture right) Keynote Dr. Ivory Toldson of Howard University; (picture above) Provost Elsenbaumer, Dr. Hatcher & Keynote Speaker Derek “Fonzworth Bentley” Watkins; (picture to the right) Art work that was donated by Professor Sedrick Huckaby on display for auction.

2013 CAAS Emerging Scholars w/ Keynote

Derek “Fonzworth Bentley” Watkins

CAAS Conference Planning Committee

MORE PICTURES AVAILABLE ON

FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/UTACAAS

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Mikala Gibson, performer

Derek “Fonzworth

Bentley” Watkins

CAAS mk

AAST 2300 INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

AAST 2337 ECONOMICS OF SOCIAL ISSUES

AAST 3324 THE COMING OF THE CIVIL WAR, 1820 - 1860

AAST 3365 AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY TO 1865

AAST 3380 RACE, CRIME & JUSTICE

AAST 4331 RACE, ETHNICITY & FAMILY FORMATION

AAST 4341 INEQUALITIES IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

AAST 4350 SPECIAL TOPICS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

AAST 4378 WEST AFRICA AND THE ATLANTIC DIASPORA

AAST 4391 CONFERENCE COURSE

AAST 4399 CAPSTONE AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

*Courses subject to change

**Special topics courses must be approved by CAAS each semester

***Other courses might qualify. Consult with a CAAS advisor

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Dr. Pamela Hill

CAAS Adjunct Faculty

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A BIANNUAL JOURNAL

OF THE CENTER FOR

AFRICAN AMERICAN

STUDEIS

Upcoming Events

July 26-28th “National Day of the American Cowboy”

Join us as we celebrate the unique and untold story of the American Cowboy and the Cowboys of

Color. This year CAAS is actively contributing to the event during the “Zydeco Fest” which is a

celebration of Creole/Cajun culture and music unique to the eastern and southern regions of

Texas and LA. The event will take place in the stockyards of Fort Worth and will feature live

music. Famous cowboys and celebs such as actress Pam Grier are sure to be in attendance.

CAAS will have a booth setup during the festival on Saturday, July 27th, 4pm-8pm. Be sure to

come by and say hi!

The event is located at:

River Ranch - Fort Worth Stockyards, 500 NE 23rd Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76164

For a whole list of “American Cowboy” events and ticket information visit:

http://www.cowboysofcolor.org/index.php

• August 22nd, First Day of Classes (Fall 2013)

• October 2nd, “CAAS Kickoff Event”, (Details Forthcoming)

• November 6, Noon, “CAAS LECTURE” (Noon, University Center)

• December, “Evening with Authors” (Details Forthcoming)

*More details and events to come soon!

*Events calendar updated regularly; please contact caas@uta.edu for inquiries.

Spring Semester 2014

February 14-15, “2nd Annual CAAS Conference” (SAVE THE DATE)

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Established August 2012, the mission of the Center for African American

Studies (CAAS) at the University of Texas at Arlington is to cultivate an

exceptional trans disciplinary experience through teaching, civic

engagement, and community-based research focused on the diverse

contextual conditions of African Americans. Our purpose is to foster

student, faculty, and community capacity to create progressive solutions

to social problems.

Endowed funding is being sought to

support:

Lectures, events, and conferences

Student seminars

Graduate fellowships

Undergraduate assistantships

Faculty and student research

For individual giving, please contact:

Michelle Gilchrist at gilchrist@uta.edu

Myke Holt at mholt@uta.edu

For foundation giving, please contact:

Shawn Farrell, Director of Foundation Relations

at shawnf@uta.edu

For more information about the needs of CAAS, please contact:

Dr. Schnavia Hatcher, CAAS Director, at shatcher@uta.edu

To give a gift, go to www.uta.edu/caas/support.html

How do you contact The Center for African American

Studies?....

CAAS is located on the UT Arlington campus in the

Swift Center, Suite 129.

Visitor parking is on the corner of UTA Blvd and Summit.

1022 UTA BLVD., SUITE 129

BOX #19024

ARLINGTON, TX 76019

Phone: 817.272.9642

Fax: 817.272.9643

Email: caas@uta.edu

Facebook.com/groups/UTACAAS

Twitter: UTArlingtonCAAS

Email to join our listserv at:

CAAS@LISTSERV.UTA.EDU

www.uta.edu/caas

CAAS WEBSITE: