U-M Department of Afroamerican and African Studies

🎓 Hail to the DAAS Class of 2026! Check out highlights from this year’s commencement ceremony: https://myumi.ch/jZNGq

📸: Michigan Photography

🌟 Congratulations to Derek Peterson, Ali Mazrui Collegiate Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies, on his election to the prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences! https://myumi.ch/pgDGX

DAAS making news! LSA Magazine highlights our classroom visit from civil rights attorney Ron Ginsburg:

“It Was the Right Thing To Do” | U-M LSA U-M College of LSA Speaking truth to power is not always easy, but a visitor to an LSA class on the Civil Rights Movement tells students why standing up for what is right matters.

🌟 Two DAAS faculty members have been recognized as Honored Instructors by U-M Housing: Lecturer II Gabriel Ayoola and Teaching Prof. Scott Ellsworth! Honored Instructors are nominated by residential students for their positive impact. Congratulations, Drs. Ayoola and Ellsworth, on receiving this recognition from your students!

🎓 Time to celebrate the DAAS class of 2026! DAAS graduation = Friday, May 1 from 1–3 p.m. in the UMMA: University of Michigan Museum of Art auditorium, followed by lunch in the courtyard. Students: RSVP by April 27! Details: https://myumi.ch/jJpPQ

🎤 Join us tomorrow (Wednesday, 4/8) for our last Faculty Forum of the academic year! David Doris, associate professor with DAAS, History of Art, and the Stamps School of Art & Design, will deliver a talk titled “A Natural History of Immortality (Fragment).” Join us at 12 p.m. in the DAAS conference room (4701 Haven Hall)!

Coming Tuesday, March 31 (4–5:30 p.m.):

Black Muslim Refugee: Militarism, Policing, and Somali American Resistance to State Violence Maxamed Abu-maye, assistant professor in the Department of African American and African Studies at Ohio State University, speaks on his project, "Black Muslim Refugee: Militarism, Policing, and Somali American Resistance to State Violence."

TOMORROW = our Faculty Forum with Assistant Professor SaraEllen Strongman on “Cultivating Black Feminist Community at Azalea, 1977-1983.” See you there at 12 p.m. in the DAAS conference room (4701 Haven Hall)!

DAAS extends heartfelt thanks to our community for your support on Giving Blueday 2026. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to raise over $4,000 for the department, including our Community-Engaged Learning Initiative.

We appreciate your continued commitment to our students, the next generation of leading DAAS scholars!