UWM Department of African and African Diaspora Studies

Congratulations to African and African Diaspora Studies PhD alumna, Dr. Charmane M. Perry, for her forthcoming book Perpetual Foreigners: Stigma, Citizenship, and Anti-Haitianism in The Bahamas. See below for the book summary. Congratulations, Dr. Perry!

Anti-Haitianism is deeply ingrained in The Bahamas—a multifaceted web of exclusion and hostility that bars the descendants of Haitian migrants from belonging and inclusion in the country of their birth. Tracing the legacy of anti-Black and anti-French British colonialism, Perpetual Foreigners argues that this entrenched antipathy pervades Bahamian institutions and has resulted in multiple generations’ worth of de facto statelessness for Haitian migrants and their children.

After The Bahamas achieved independence from Great Britain in 1973, resident Haitians served as a cultural foil, representing the antithesis of what it means to be Bahamian. Examining the everyday acts of discrimination, xenophobia, and social stigmatization suffered by these “perpetual foreigners,” Perry argues that anti-Haitianism has come to function as a form of Bahamian nationalism. This study offers critical insight into the ways anti-Haitian discrimination operates in Black-made spaces populated by majority Black people within a Black nation.

Dr. Charmane M. Perry is Associate Professor of Africana Studies at San Diego State University.

Perpetual Foreigners The historical roots and contemporary experience of anti-Haitian discrimination in The BahamasAnti-Haitianism is deeply ingrained in

Congratulations Dr. Harriell!

UWM Professor co-authors book with rapper 2 Chainz, hits NYT bestsellers list Grammy-award winning artist 2 Chainz is a rapper and songwriter from College Park, Georgia. Best known for his hit singles “I’m Different” and “The Birthday Song,” as well as other chart-topping collaborations, he’s produced seven studio albums and worked with …

We’re to announce Clayborn Benson, two‑time UWM alum, Wisconsin historian, photographer and military veteran, will be the commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient at the ceremony on May 17!

Benson spent 39 years as an award‑winning journalist at TMJ4 News, telling powerful stories across news and sports. In 1987, he founded the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, ensuring the preservation and sharing of Black history while serving as a cornerstone for the community. His honors are many and well‑deserved, including the City of Milwaukee Living Legacy Award, Milwaukee Press Club Hall of Fame, Emmy Silver Circle Award and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more at the link in the comments!

Spring has sprung, but we're planning for Fall! Check out upcoming Fall 2026 AADS courses here.

Join us today!

Interested in what L&S has to offer? Stop by the Exploring Majors Fair next week Friday!

Please mark your calendars for this talk next Friday, featuring Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, UW-Milwaukee Visiting Scholar Ned Littlefield!

Legislative Politics of Genocide Recognition: Investigating Committees on Anti-Black Violence in Brazil
Friday April 10, 2026
1:30pm-2:30pm
Mitchell Hall room 206

Ned Littlefield, PhD, is a Visiting Scholar at UWM’s Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies. He researches state violence and political identity in Brazil. Ned has published in International Affairs, Journal of Latin American Studies, Journal of Politics in Latin America, and Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies, as well as Handbook on Democracy and Security.

Presented by the AADS (African and African Diaspora Studies) Seminar Series, with the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the Department of Political Science.

https://uwm.edu/african-diaspora-studies/event/legislative-politics-of-genocide-recognition-investigating-committees-on-anti-black-violence-in-brazil/

Please join us for Diverse Ideas: “Mofongo al mundo: Eat & Learn about Afro-Latino foodways”

Try plantain- and rice-based recipes from local Puerto Rican food truck business Las Virellas. We’ll learn about African influence in Latin American and Caribbean cuisines and hear from the owners about their professional journey starting a business based on their passion for food and culture.

March 31st, 12-2pm; UWM Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, 107

This event is in collaboration with the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies Department of African and African Diaspora Studies, Roberto Hernandez Center and the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center. Please RSVP at the link in the comments.

An exciting upcoming event featuring Dr. Joe Trotter Jr.!

Recent scholarship illuminates the many ways that Black people have shaped the built environment of American cities, while also double taxing their labor to build institutional infrastructure to serve their own class and racially segregated communities. Yet, the notion of a “Black City” is the subject of significant debate, partly because people of African descent have never fully controlled the cities in which they lived, worked, and helped to create from the trans-Atlantic slave trade through present times. Hence, in addition to the injustice of land dispossession, enslaved labor, and discriminatory low-wage free labor, this special forum provides an opportunity for scholars, students, and the broader public to consider the vibrant city-building activities of Black people as a vital part of the case for reparatory justice and reparations.

Dr. Joe William Trotter, Jr. is the Giant Eagle University Professor of History and Social Justice and past History Department Chair at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the director and founder of Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE) and past president of both the Urban History Association and the Labor and Working Class History Association.

Dean's Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities: Building the Black City: Expanding the Case for Reparations for Descendants of African People Enslaved in America Presented by Dr. Joe Trotter Jr. Friday, April 17, 2026 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Alumni Fireside Lounge – UWM Student Union 2200 East Kenwood Blvd.   Recent scholarship illuminates the many ways that Black people have shaped the built environment …

AADS' Dr. Baker spoke to In Focus about his contributions to an upcoming PBS documentary about Wisconsin's Underground Railroad.

Take a ride on Wisconsin's Underground Railroad, with UWM faculty as your guide The Underground Railroad was a network of safehouses and secret routes that ferried fugitive slaves from the south to safety in the northern U.S. and Canada in the years leading up to America’s Civil War. Some of those routes ran …

Please join the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies for our upcoming AADS Seminar Series event (embedded within the Department of Geography’s Colloquium):

China in Africa with Professor István Tarrósy, Director of International Studies, University of Pécs.

His research interests include African/Asian Relations, African Migration, and Geopolitics

Fri 13 March, 2:30 pm
American Geographical Society Library (UWM Library 3rd floor East)

Please RSVP here: bit.ly/4rcHZin
A reception with light refreshments will follow.

Cosponsored by: the Center for Research on International Economics, Community Empowerment & Institutional Inclusivity, Economics, Geography and International Studies