Africana Studies Institute UCONN

Are you a UConn CLAS undergraduate student engaged with the Africana Studies Institute? Apply for the Theresa Gyamfuah Owusu Award!

Submit a 500-word essay on the legacies of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Ghana to [email protected].

Deadline: March 30th, 2026 at 11:59 PM.

For more information about Theresa Gyamfuah Owusu, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15IpgNtX0ZPgOKYMvES11FQlUxA0-_f28SWgyn45jZxc/edit?usp=drivesdk

The UConn Africana Studies Institute presents a special screening of The Ebony Canal, followed by a discussion with 4x Emmy Award–winning director Emmai Alaquia. Narrated by Viola Davis, this documentary explores the disparities in infant and maternal mortality while uplifting stories of resilience, hope, and change in maternal health.

🗓 Tuesday, March 3, 2026
⏰ 2–5 PM
📍 UConn Student Union Theater

Feel free to come watch, reflect, and be part of the dialogue!

COGS 2345/AFRA 2345: Language & Racism 📚🗣️
Explore how language shapes race, identity, and power. From everyday speech to media, learn how words reinforce or resist racism using tools from cognitive science and sociolinguistics.
T/Th 11:00AM–12:15PM
Instructor: Portia Washington

📚Understand how white supremacy, privilege, and colonialism shape global racial hierarchies in AFRA 3898/SOCI 2998 with Dr. Embrick in Spring 2026!

Gain critical insight into culture, structure, and community in this class. Explore how research, media, and policy shape Black family life in Black Families (AFRA 3898/ HDFS 3095)🖤
This class is open to All

You can view Deirdre Cooper Owens’ talk here.

Missed last week's fascinating program "Harriet Tubman: A Disabled American Hero" with UConn's Deirdre Cooper Owens?

You can watch here now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJs11Ey_4DM

Please Join Us for Pretty Enough? A discussion on exploring the impact of media’s sexualized and Euro-Centric beauty ideals in girls and young women.

Wednesday October 8th from 3-5pm in Rowe 320 and on Webex (link in our linktree in the bio)
Looking forward to seeing you there!

Presenting the Luckey Family Studies Lecture Series!

Join us for “Pretty Enough? Exploring the impact of media’s sexualized and euro-centric beauty ideals ofr girls and young women” with Dr.L. Monique Ward, Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan.

Wednesday October 8th in Rowe 320 or join virtually from the link in the bio!

✨ Interested in graduate studies in African American & Diaspora literature, language, culture, and Black digital/public scholarship? ✨
Apply to the Cooper-Du Bois Mentoring Program — a three-day virtual experience (Oct. 24–26) that connects you with faculty, graduate students, and fellows while preparing you for the grad school journey.

📌 Applications due: Friday, Sept. 30 @ 11:59 PM EST and the link is in the bio!

Don’t miss the chance to join this powerful network and get the tools you need to thrive!

Cool off with us at the Africana Studies Institute Ice Cream Social! This event will be held at the UConn Dairy Bar and the RSVP link will close today at 5pm. 🍦🍨

ASI's Associate Director, Dr. Fiona Vernal, is making a community impact by collecting Connecticut oral histories using the TheirStory online platform.

Using TheirStory to Help Tell Our Stories - UConn Today UConn's Fiona Vernal is helping CT communities collect oral histories with the aid of a new online platform

We’re so proud to celebrate Trinity Stewart, one of our outstanding Africana Studies students, for being selected as a 2025 Mellon Scholar with the Library Company of Philadelphia! Trinity’s dedication to scholarship, research, and uplifting Black histories continues to inspire our community. Congratulations on this incredible opportunity!🎊🎉