Black Convocation
2021-09-29 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Black Convocation 2021

Sept. 29th
5-6pm
Zoom Registration Link

IdentiTEA Discussion
2021-10-05 07:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Mixed Student Union (MSU) is hosting their first discussion/meeting of the year this upcoming Tuesday, October 5, at 7pm-8pm in Kaplan Hall, in room 135!
They will be discussing what it’s like growing up mixed-race, and overall spilling the “tea” on what it’s like being mixed and how that affects identity.
*MSU is a cultural group for mixed-race and multiethnic individuals that aims to unite and foster UCLA’s mixed community. They meet weekly on Tuesdays at 7-8pm at Kaplan 135.*
Join their newsletter subscription here!

Professor Brenda Stevenson's Inaugural Lecture
2021-10-25 09:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Professor Brenda Stevenson
Hillary Rodham Clinton Chair of Women’s History
Oxford University is running a program of public events this month to celebrate the start of Professor Stevenson’s tenure.

The Lecture: Creating History at the Intersection of Gender, Jim Crow and Remembrance will be broadcast live on Youtube.

Black Dress & Culture Series: Debating the Black Body in Fashion & Popular Culture
2021-11-06 11:00 - 14:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Black Dress & Culture Series
Debating the Black Body in Fashion & Popular Culture
Location: Via Zoom & In-person for UCLA students only (see RSVP Link).
Description: The Black Dress & Culture Series annual colloquiums explore the critical topic of Black dress. The influences of Black bodies, Black style, and Black makers are undeniable forces in shaping culture through fashion, costume design, and styling. Black bodies have consistently acted as sites of cutting-edge aesthetics and emulation. Yet, they have endured ridicule, discrimination, fear, and violence. This series engages scholars and practitioners in conversations that reinsert Black people into cultural narratives. Their discussions will address and expand on the multiple viewpoints within ongoing and sometimes contentious histories and contemporary practices. The inaugural event, “Debating the Black Body in Fashion and On-Screen,” will focus on the work of Black costume designers, in conversation with scholars, to address the topic of Black women and body size, as well as respectability politics in dress on screen.
Colloquium Schedule:
11:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
11:15 a.m. Panel I: Black Women and Body Size in History and on Screen
12:15 p.m. Coffee Break
12:30 p.m. Panel II: The “Aesthetics of Excess” and Respectability Politics
1:30 p.m. James Bridges Theater in-person discussion followed by refreshments

UCLA Institute of American Cultures Fall Forum 2021
2021-11-09 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Description:
You are invited to the UCLA Institute of American Cultures (IAC) annual Fall Forum, featuring the 2021–22 IAC visiting researchers and scholars, graduate and predoctoral fellows, and research grant awardees at UCLA’s four ethnic studies centers. Featured speakers will be interviewed by faculty experts, followed by a Q&A.
Find out more about who and what is featured in the Webinar through the Zoom Registration Link.

Kal Penn on Life and Diversity in Hollywood
2021-11-11 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Darnell Hunt, Ph.D and Dean, UCLA Division of Social Sciences Professor of Sociology and African American Studies invites you to attend the Dean’s Salon: Kal Penn on Life and Diversity in Hollywood!
Kal Penn will be taking live questions from the viewers starting at 6:00 p.m.If you would like to submit your questions in advance of the webinar please email hnadworny@support.ucla.edu by Wednesday, November 10.
Thursday, November 11, 20215:00 – 6:30 p.m. PSTLive streaming via Zoom

Click here to register for the event

To purchase a hardcover edition of Kal Penn’s new memoirYou Can’t Be Serious please click here

Students & TV Writers Panel
2021-11-15 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Description:
Are you a college student or recent grad who’s interested in sharing your experiences with TV writers? Do you have pressing questions about how a story unfolds in the Writers Room? If so, join a panel on zoom where you can converse with writers of a half-hour comedy hit! See the flyer for details and send us an email with your preferred date and time. There are three options to choose from!
*Email Delina.Brooks@abcs.tv for inquiries about the event and how to attend!*
The event will take place on three separate days:
Monday, November 15th (11:00 am PST)
Tuesday, November 16th (1:00 pm PST)
Wednesday, November 17th (2:30 pm PST)

Geneva Smitherman Book Talk!
2022-05-03 16:30 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
This event will feature a panel that discusses the recent publication of Dr. Geneva Smitherman’s memoir: Geneva Napoleon Smitherman, My Soul Look Back in Wonder, 1st edition (Routledge, 2022). Three speakers, Dr Bryce Henson, Dr. Austin Jackson, and our very own Professor Kyle T. Mays, will offer reactions to her book from their interdisciplinary perspectives and also comment on her contribution to Black Studies. Excited to see you all there!

The book talk will take place in The Black Forum (Haines Hall 153) at 4:30 pm on Tuesday, May 3rd!
If you are on campus, we would welcome your in-person attendance!
If you would rather watch online, click here for the zoom link!

Comrade Sisters Book Talk w/ Ericka Huggins & Stephen James
2022-10-19 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Mark your calendars for the October 19th Comrade Sisters Book Talk Event! UCLA has invited Activist Ericka Huggins and Photographer Stephen James to discuss their book “Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party”!

Read more about our esteemed guest speakers below!

Writing Health Through Black Feminist Theory
2022-10-24 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles)

Sekou Odinga: Reflections of A Freedom Fighter
2022-10-25 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles)

UCLA 34th Annual MLK Oratorical
2023-02-01 19:00 - 22:00 UTC
On February 1st at 7pm UCLA will host the 34th Annual MLK Oratorical Contest in Covel Commons. We hope you can spread the word, join us for festivities, and watch amazing students perform spoken word, oration and griot.

Black Dress & Culture Series: Fashion City Los Angeles
2023-04-22 10:00 - 14:00 UTC | James Bridges Theater
Description:
UCLA will be hosting the second installment of the “Fashion City: Los Angeles” jointly presented by UCLA’s Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design and Department of African American Studies.

The Black Dress and Culture series engages scholars and practitioners in conversations on the multifaceted aspects of Black dress within cultural narratives. These panel discussions will focus on the evolving perceptions and impacts of Black fashion and aesthetics in history and popular culture and will address and expand on the multiple viewpoints within ongoing and sometimes-contentious histories and contemporary practices.
This two-part discussion will encourage debate and engage with the speakers’ repertory of knowledge, experience, and research.
RSVP Required:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ucla-black-dress-culture-series-tickets-607726405037

*Contact Kristen Mundy (kmundy@afam.ucla.edu) or Gina Lewis (lewisgina@g.ucla.edu) with questions!*

Political Economy of the Black World II
2023-05-31 09:15 - 2023-06-01 17:30 UTC | UCLA
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
In May 1979, the Center for Afro-American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles hosted a two-day symposium entitled The Political Economy of the Black World. This spring, Professors Peter James Hudson and Jemima Pierre are convening The Political Economy of the Black World II, a two-day symposium that draws on and expands the themes and conversations of the original 1979 event. It will serve as the inaugural event of the new Center for Advanced Studies of Political Economy and Race (CASPER).
The Political Economy of the Black World II will be held on May 31st and June 1st at UCLA and will include presentations from a global group of scholars hailing from Kenya, Tunisia, Barbados, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Norway, Canada and beyond.
Please join us for the Public Conversations with:

Dr. Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, Faculty Emeritus, former chair of the Center for Afro-American Studies, and former Vice Chancellor of Graduate Studies at UCLA – and co-convener of the original 1979 event.
Dr. Horace G. Campbell, Professor of African American Studies and Political Science at Syracuse University and Chairperson of the Global Pan African Movement (North American delegation).
Dr. Deborah E. McDowell, Alice Griffin Professor of Literary Studies and former director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies at the University of Virginia.
Ajamu Baraka, Chairperson, Coordinating Committee of the Black Alliance for Peace, senior editor and contributing columnist for the Black Agenda Report, and former Green Party vice-presidential candidate.

For more information, including the schedule, please see the flier above. We look forward to seeing you there!

JOB TALK: Black Buddhists & the Black Radical Tradition
2024-02-01 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Kaplan Hall 365, Kaplan Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Join us Thursday, Feb. 1st, as we welcome Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad for our first job talk of the year! These job talks are an opportunity for members of the UCLA community to hear faculty position applicants present on topics they are experts in. Please come hear Dr. Vesely-Flad speak and get an opportunity to ask her questions about her research!
*Lunch Provided*

JOB TALK: “’We’ve Been Born Free’: Rastafari Women’s Pan-African Worldmaking
2024-02-06 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Kaplan Hall 365, Kaplan Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Our second job talk of the year! Come stop by Kaplan 193, Tuesday, February 6th, for Dr. Shamara’s Alhassan talk titled “We’ve Been Born Free”: Rastafari Women’s Pan-African Worldmaking. These job talks are an opportunity for members of the UCLA community to hear faculty position applicants present on topics they are experts in. Please come hear Dr. Alhassan speak and get an opportunity to ask her questions about her research!
*Lunch will be provided*

Radical Reparations BOOK TALK
2024-02-06 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | UCLA Career Center, UCLA Career Center, Room #200, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Speakers:
Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter
Author & UCLA Professor
Click here to learn more about the author…

Willie “Prophet” Stiggers
President of the Black Music Action Coalition
Click here to learn more about the Black Music Action Coalition…

Description:
Join us for an exciting book talk on Tuesday, February 6th! Get ready to dive into the thought-provoking world of RADICAL REPARATIONS: Healing the Soul of A Nation written by our very own UCLA Professor, Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter. In conversation with, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, he will discuss the powerful ideas and perspectives presented in the book. Students, Faculty and Staff of UCLA are all welcome to attend and engage in fresh insights on this important topic!

DETAILS:

Date: Tuesday, February 6th, 2024
Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm
Location: UCLA Career Center Room 200 (located in the Strathmore Building)

*Books will be sold by the Reparations Club*
Food & Beverages will be provided.

State Violence & Radical Justice in Brazil: A Conversation with Rute Fiúza
2024-02-13 12:00 - 13:30 UTC | YRL, YRL West Classroom, Room #23167, Los Angeles, CA, 90095
Join the UCLA African American Studies Department & the UCLA Center for Brazilian Studies for this important conversation with our featured speaker, human rights activist, Rute Fiúza.

JOB TALK: Whither Hurston? African Inheritances, Africana Religious Studies, & the Great Debate
2024-02-15 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Kaplan Hall 365, Kaplan Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Join us Thursday, Feb. 15th, as we welcome our featured speaker Dr. Ahmad Greene-Hayes for our last job talk of the year! These job talks are an opportunity for members of the UCLA community to hear faculty position applicants present on topics they are experts in. Please come hear Dr. Vesely-Flad speak and get an opportunity to ask her questions about her research!
*Lunch will be provided!*

Book Talk: THE REFORMATORY by Tananarive Due
2024-03-06 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | Royce Hall 314, Royce Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095

"Descendant" Film Screening: In Conversation with Co-Producer, Kern Jackson
2024-04-05 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | Royce Hall 306, 304 Royce Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Join us for an exclusive screening of the critically acclaimed documentary “Descendant,” currently streaming on Netflix! The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s Co-Producer, Dr. Kern Jackson!
*Refreshments will be provided*

"Descendant" Film Screening
2024-04-11 19:00 - 22:00 UTC | Royce Hall 306, 304 Royce Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
“Descendant” Film Screening: In Conversation with Co-Producer, Kern Jackson
Join us for an exclusive screening of the critically acclaimed documentary “Descendant,” currently streaming on Netflix! The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s Co-Producer, Dr. Kern Jackson!
*Refreshments will be provided

Registration Link: https://events.eventzilla.net/e/descendant-film-screening-2138605224

Prelude to...JUNETEENTH DAY CELEBRATION
2024-06-05 19:00 - 22:00 UTC | Royce Hall 10383, Royce Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095
Tickets Available Now!

Scroll below to see more information about our performers!

Juneteenth Day Celebration: Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Future
Hosted by the UCLA African American Studies Department
Join us for a day of reflection, celebration, and community as we commemorate Juneteenth, the nationally celebrated commemoration of slavery’s official end in the United States. This year, the UCLA African American Studies Department is proud to host a series of performances and talks that highlight the significance of this day in our history and its relevance to our present and future.
We will honor the resilience and achievements of the African American community and recommit ourselves to the ongoing fight for freedom, equality, and justice for all. Together, we appreciate where we came from, the journey it took to get us where we are today, and envision a future of progress and community.

AFAM Open House
2024-09-24 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | Rolfe 2125, Rolfe Hall, #2125, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States

UCLA Black Geographies Welcome Gathering
2024-09-27 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Rolfe 2125, Rolfe Hall, #2125, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States

"The Potential of Operatic Spaces Today" Robert M. Stevenson Lecture with Naomi André
2024-10-10 16:00 - 17:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Lani Hall, 445 Charles E. Young Dr East 2520 Schoenberg Music Building, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States

Black Convocation!
2024-10-28 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Covel Commons, 330 De Neve Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Black Convocation is an annual event that welcomes new and returning students to the UCLA campus and makes them aware of the different organizations, departments, and resources available to serve them. It is an evening full of Bruin pride, providing encouragement, anecdotes about the past, and a glimpse of the future from UCLA faculty, staff, and alumni dedicated to supporting all students. Black Convocation is free and open to the public.
*Free dinner provided!*

WHERE WE STAND: A Conversation On Black Feminisms with Djamila Ribeiro
2024-11-15 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Bunche Hall 10383, 11282 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, 90095, United States
In a society shaped by the legacies of enslavement, white supremacy, and sexism, who has the right to a voice?
In her recently-translated book, Djamila Ribeiro offers a compelling intervention into contemporary discussions of power and identity: the concept of “speaking place” (lugar de fala), which has become a crucial component of conversations on race and gender in Brazil.

Emergent Quilombos: Book Talk
2024-12-05 16:30 - 18:00 UTC
Join us for an engaging evening as we welcome Dr. Bryce Henson, author of Emergent Quilombos: Black Life & Hip Hop in Brazil. In this thought-provoking book, Henson delves into the legacy of quilombos—communities of Afro-Brazilian resistance formed by escaped enslaved people—and examines their ongoing influence on contemporary struggles for social justice in Brazil. Drawing on extensive research, Henson explores how these historical sites of resistance have inspired modern cultural movements activism against racial, economic, and environmental oppression. During this talk, Henson will discuss the rich history of quilombos, the intersections of race, space, and freedom, and the cultural practices that sustain these communities.

This event will also include the following additional guest speakers:

Former professor & Founder of MSU’s Department of African American Studies, Dr. Geneva Smitherman
Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Nonfiction Writing Program at Brown University., Dr. Austin Jackson
Host: Assistant Professor & Vice Chair of the UCLA African American Studies Department, Kyle T. Mays

This event is perfect for readers interested in Afro-Brazilian history, critical race theory, and global resistance movements. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, engage in discussion, and purchase signed copies of Emergent Quilombos!

RSVP HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2yQewpJyI61k8044QJJ2pyJqzw2kBgq3oBMfnUVFp97Vh4g/viewform

African American Studies Department’s 2024 Job Talks
2025-01-29 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Rolfe 2125, Rolfe Hall, #2125, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
This week kicks off the first of the African American Studies Department’s 2024 Job Talks! These job talks are an opportunity for members of the UCLA community to come hear prospective faculty present on a topic they are experts in! Please come and see Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow, Christiana Kelly, PhD., this Wednesday, Jan. 29th! Read more about Dr. Kelly on our website faculty page.

*Please refer to the Black Calendar for other events this month!*
