African and African American Studies Program at Wright State University

If you're interested in history, women's studies, or African American studies, the AAFS program is offering a new course this fall on women in African history. Check it out!

On this day in 1924 Roland Hayes was signed as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His skill and success as an operatic tenor paved the way for black opera and concert singers today.

‘Breath And Imagination’ Gives Majestic New Voice To Roland Hayes An expressive interpreter of French arias, German art songs, and Negro spirituals, Roland Hayes blazed an indelible trail for African-American opera singers. Now, Daniel Beaty, Elijah Rock and ArtsEmerson make beautiful music together in an impressionistic biography of this influential performer.

Check out our new fall course on the African Diaspora!

College material Wright State student Ryan Staley excels on a campus he never thought he would see, majoring in organizational leadership and working to give back to the community. Continue reading →

On this date in 1995 Esther Silver-Parker became the first African American president of the AT&T Foundation.

On this date in 1909 the NAACP, then the National Negro Committee, held its first conference at the United Charity Organization Hall in New York City.

On this date in 1965 Vivian Malone Jones became the first African American student to graduate from the University of Alabama.

"Vivian Malone registering" by Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report Magazine

On this date in 1851 Sojourner Truth delivered her famous speech "Ain't I a Woman?" at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio.

Ain't I a Woman? - Women’s History Month Kerry Washington performs a speech by abolitionist and former slave Sojourner Truth in honor of Women's History Month.

On this day in 1998 Jody-Anne Maxwell, a twelve-year-old from Kingston, Jamaica, became the first non-American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

On this day in 1935 Ohio State alumnus Jesse Owens tied the world record for the 100 yard dash and set new world records for the long jump, the 220-yard sprint, and the 220-yard low hurdles during the Big Ten meet at the University of Michigan.

Jesse Owens at the Big Ten, 1935 Jesse Owens crossing the finish line at the Big Ten Track and Field Championships on Ferry Field.
Credit: The Ohio State University Archives.

Happy birthday to the Godmother Of Soul, Patti LaBelle, born 1944.

On this day in 1921 _Shuffle Along_ premiered on Broadway at the Daly’s 63rd Street Theatre. The landmark musical was one of the first hits to feature an all-black cast performing the work of black writers and musicians.

Shuffle Along - Broadway Black History Shuffle Along opened the door for Black performers and writers on the stage during the period in the 1920s known as the Harlem Renaissance. It legitimized the Black musical, proving to producers and managers that audiences would pay to see a wealth of Black talent on Broadway, as opposed to one Black act per bill, which had been the norm.