Welcome to the Department of African American Studies. This Department is focused on the study of Black diasporic life, from antiquity to the present. We are a discipline rooted in the study and struggle, radicalism and resistance, and based on the mantra of ‘academic excellence and social responsibility.’ Our Department at UCLA uses evidence coupled with community care so that we can all create the futures we deserve! I believe now more than ever, it is imperative that we center and understand the experiences of Black people. To do so, powered by a diligent staff and top-notch scholars and teachers, we provide a range of courses and programs that showcase why California in general and UCLA in particular remains one of the cornerstone places in the country to earn a degree in Black Studies.

In my role as Department Chair, I have three main goals. First, we will build an intellectual life that focuses on the importance of evidence and research. Second, we will create a culture of programming that centers on how Black people have contributed to cultural, social, and political life throughout the diaspora and in solidarity with other communities. Finally, a core part of our mission will be to fundraise so that our students have the best experience as Bruins before they go out into the world and do great things.

For students, you may wonder, what exactly can you do with an undergraduate or master’s degree in African American Studies? Well, you can become Mayor of New York City! You can go onto graduate or law school. You have many options because a degree in our Department is not just about the study of Black people, culture, history, and politics; it provides crucial skills like critical literacy, empathy for the human condition, and a fundamental base to understand the politics of today. If you want to be a part of our department, remember: ‘I am we,’ and we must build together to make this space inclusive for all people!

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Kyle T. Mays, Ph.D. 

Professor and Chair of the Department of African American Studies