Author: francisc

Dark Matters
The Newsletter of the African American Studies Program at
the College of Charleston

Inside this issue:

Overworked and Underpaid	2
Pulling Together in Kenya	2
Profundities: Must Read Novels Recommended by CofC Professors	3
Candid Moments: An Interview With an African-American Studies Student	4
Inside Story	4
Inside Story	5
Inside Story	6

Volume 1, Issue 1

Spring 2008

From the Director

In Spring 2008 a student at the College of Charleston could attend a variety of events commemorating the bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of the international slave trade, a ceremony dedicating a memorial for a former African American cemetery located on campus, a lecture by Angela Davis, and documentary on the history and legacy of African American stereotypes. She could also take courses in African American philosophy, theater, history, and literature. She could meet and work with faculty studying African American history and culture in a variety of disciplines across campus. The variety of opportunities and experiences available to College of Charleston students in Spring 2008, and that continue to be available, points to the increasingly central role African American Studies occupies in the intellectual life of this campus.
With this inaugural issue of the African American Studies Program newsletter, we’d like to introduce you to some of the work that we do. As an academic program on the urban campus of a public university, we are well positioned to lead, facilitate, and encourage dialogue about African American culture and history, and around issues of race and difference. With the Spring Film Series and the Fall Book Series and events like the African American Read-In (described inside), we hope we’re providing students, faculty, staff, and community members opportunities to engage these issues. We hope, as well, that readers will find the book recommendations, provided by African American Studies faculty staff, useful and provocative.
We are also pleased to showcase some our students in this newsletter. The students featured here demonstrate the kind of commitment to engaged scholarship and activism that we like to see in all our students. And Shanise Brown is the first subject of what will hopefully be a regular column about our graduates.
So jump in and enjoy finding out about some of the things that matter to us.
—Conseula Francis

Program Overview

Dark Matters
The Newsletter of the African American Studies Program at
the College of Charleston

Page 2

Overworked and Underpaid

In Charleston, SC, the average income for black workers is less than half the average for white workers. In order to understand this drastic inequality, I'm examining the relationship between labor market segmentation and race. Labor market segmentation is the process by which political, social, and economic forces have divided the labor market into different segments, each with its own set of rules. For example, you can easily see the difference between what is commonly called "white-collar work" (jobs with high earnings, benefits, security, and mobility, i.e. "good jobs") and "blue-collar" work (jobs with low wages, benefits, security, and mobility, i.e. "bad jobs").
Just by looking around the College of Charleston itself, you can see how white workers are overwhelmingly represented within this first segment, while black workers are overwhelmingly represented in the latter one. Because this highly segregated work force mirrors that of the City of Charleston, I'm conducting a case study on the College. I'm interviewing workers within the service sector, e.g. custodians, maintenance workers, food service workers, and groundskeepers, in order to learn not only how the employment practices of the College allow black workers to become "stuck" in certain kinds of jobs, but also how these workers perceive their own work conditions, job security, and opportunity for advancement. Most importantly, I'm interested in how local labor market practices, which I consider not only to be economic, but extremely social and political, (re)produce racial hierarchies within the space of work. I can then use this information to analyze the broader relationship between labor market segmentation and race in the Charleston area.
-Kaylee Rogers

Pulling Together in Kenya

This past semester, twenty-two College of Charleston students, including African American Studies minor Matthew Foley, traveled to Kenya to work in an orphanage which cares for children who have lost their parents to AIDS. The group, known as Project Harambee (a Swahili word meaning "Let's pull together"), raised over $50,000, began construction of a medical clinic at the orphanage, and bonded with an amazing group of children who have overcome incredible adversity at such young ages. Project Harambee will continue to raise funding and awareness about AIDS in Kenya and will be returning to the orphanage next December.
-Matthew Foley

CofC student Matt Foley with an orphan in
Kenya.

Page #

Dark Matters
The Newsletter of the African American Studies Program at
the College of Charleston

Candid Moments:
An Interview With an AAST Graduate

We asked CofC graduate and former African-American Studies minor Shanise Brown ten questions about her experiences with the program. Here is what she had to say:
Where are you from? The Boonies: St. Stephen, SC.
What did you major in? Sociology
What are you doing now? I work at the School of the Arts here at the College as a Projects Assistant.
What was your favorite course at College of Charleston? It's a three way tie between Intro to African American Theatre, Intro to African American Literature, and Sociology of Music.
Why did you choose to minor in African-American Studies? I had already taken four of the classes without considering the minor because I was interested in the subject. When I realized I only need a few classes to do the minor, I just decided to follow through.
Why should someone minor in African-American Studies? I honestly believe that minoring in AAST was the most fun I had on the Academic side of my College experience. It gave me more insight into my history as an African American and gave me way more information than I ever learned in high school history classes. AAST classes always have the most interesting discussion because of the different ethnics and social backgrounds of the people who are in the classes.
What advice would you have for current College of Charleston students? Take classes that interest you as well as classes that are required. It makes the College experience more interesting. Also, don't get caught up in partying early on you regret your senior and junior years.
What are you reading now? Rereading Jane Eyre and The Purpose Driven Life.
What kinds of things do you enjoy doing in your spare time? SLEEP!!! It's my favorite pasttime, but I also love playing with my nieces and nephew, crocheting, reading, writing poetry, listening to old school music ( old school as in 1950's- early 90s), having fun with my favorite people, and just loving life!
What are your future plans? Right now, I am taking a year off after going to school year round for the last six years and then I am going to law school Fall '09.

AAST Events
The AAST program sponsored or co-sponsored several events during the 2007-2008 school year, including:
Spring Film Series
We screened three documentaries including Ethnic Notions, February One, and No! The Rape Documentary
Lecture by Mark Anthony Neal
Professor Neal, author of New Black Man, spoke about black male feminism, as part of the Women’s and Gender Studies program’s Black Guys/White Guys series
Lecture by Angela Davis
Legendary activist and scholar will lecture at the College of Charleston on April 14, 2008. See www.cofc.edu/~wgs for more details.

Page 4

Dark Matters
The Newsletter of the African American Studies Program at
the College of Charleston

Volume 1, Issue 1

Must Reads Recommended by
CofC Faculty and Staff

Dreaming Me, by Jan Willis

Reminiscent of the autobiography of Malcolm X, Dreaming Me recounts the life of an African-American girl from pre-civil rights Alabama who, given the choice of either the militancy of the Black Panthers or the more non-violent practices of Buddhism, adopted the latter, studying Tibetan Buddhism under Tibetans who escaped the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet in 1959. Janice Dean Wallis grew up Baptist in the Deep South, received a scholarship to the Ivy League during the peak of student activism in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and currently serves as professor of religious studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where she teaches courses on Buddhist theory and practice. In Dreaming Me, Willis explores what it means to be Black in America, and how her Blackness intertwines with both her Baptist upbringing and her Buddhist practices.
-Eric L. Thomas,
Religious Studies

Blues People: Negro Music in White America, by Amiri Baraka

Amiri Baraka (formerly Leroi Jones) writes about the place of jazz and blues in American social, musical, economic, and cultural history. From the music of African slaves in the United States through the music scene of the 1960's, Baraka traces the influence of “Black music” not only in the context of music and pop culture but also in terms of the values and perspectives passed on through the music. His work related to the values and perspectives passed on through the music is what gives this book an edge. He articulates the subtle rebellion of the marginalized when Blues was at a high point and how that rebellious attitude helped influence Black people’s strength perseverance, and appreciation for life.
-Rénard B. Harris,
Elementary Education
Early

Page 5

Dark Matters
The Newsletter of the African American Studies Program at
the College of Charleston

Volume 1, Issue 1

Where We Stand: Class Matters, by bell hooks

Here hooks deconstructs the notion that the United States is a classless society and urges us to openly grapple with the issues of classism. She roots her analysis in an examination of her personal life, reflecting on her journey across class lines from her childhood in a working-class, racially segregated community to her present life as a tenured professor and recognized intellectual. She demonstrates how the discussion of class in America is obscured by a greater emphasis on race and gender and illustrates the conservative effects of class within the ostensibly liberal feminist and antiracism movements. She points out the ways that mass media, consumerism, the housing market, and our educational system support class divisions while suppressing an open discussion of class inequality. The main message of hooks’ critique is that we all have an individual responsibility to address class inequities. Each person needs to examine his position in global class hierarchies and challenge the inequalities he finds around him through his actions; and we need to establish a true, functional solidarity with the poor and working classes by living more simply, sharing resources, and thus making more resources available to all.
-Steven K. Profit,
Reference Librarian

Hung: A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men in America, by Scott Poulson-Bryant

Praised by critics as complex, compelling, startling, and seditious, Poulson-Bryant takes on the powerful hold black male sexuality has on the American imagination. Part memoir, part cultural critique, part psychoanalysis, reveals the enormous impact the image of the "Well Hung Black Man" has had on the way black men perceive themselves and on the assumptions made by others. Many writers, critics, and scholars are beginning to look seriously at the construction(s) of black masculinity in our culture, at how those constructions are often the undoing of black men. Poulson-Bryant's Hung adds a provocative, thoughtful, and readable voice to that mix.
—Conseula Francis
English
Director, AAST

Fall 2008 Book Series

Each fall the AAST Program will host a series of book discussions. Our goal is to provide the campus and the community with opportunities to meet and discuss African American history and culture. The books selections for Fall 2008 are:
Having it All: Black Women and Success, by Veronica Chambers
Soul City: A Novel, by Toure
Being A Black Man: At the Corner of Progress and Peril, by Kevin Merida
For more information on the dates and locations of the discussions , please visit the program website at www.cofc.edu/~aast or contact Dr. Conseula Francis at francisc@cofc.edu or (843) 953-7738.

AAST Events
The AAST program sponsored or co-sponsored several events during the 2007-2008 school year, including:
Spring Film Series
We screened three documentaries including Ethnic Notions, February One, and No! The Rape Documentary
Lecture by Mark Anthony Neal
Professor Neal, author of New Black Man, spoke about black male feminism, as part of the Women’s and Gender Studies program’s Black Guys/White Guys series
Lecture by Angela Davis
Legendary activist and scholar will lecture at the College of Charleston on April 14, 2008. See www.cofc.edu/~wgs for more details.

Page 4

Dark Matters
The Newsletter of the African American Studies Program at
the College of Charleston

Volume 1, Issue 1

Must Reads Recommended by
CofC Faculty and Staff

Dreaming Me, by Jan Willis

Reminiscent of the autobiography of Malcolm X, Dreaming Me recounts the life of an African-American girl from pre-civil rights Alabama who, given the choice of either the militancy of the Black Panthers or the more non-violent practices of Buddhism, adopted the latter, studying Tibetan Buddhism under Tibetans who escaped the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet in 1959. Janice Dean Wallis grew up Baptist in the Deep South, received a scholarship to the Ivy League during the peak of student activism in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and currently serves as professor of religious studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where she teaches courses on Buddhist theory and practice. In Dreaming Me, Willis explores what it means to be Black in America, and how her Blackness intertwines with both her Baptist upbringing and her Buddhist practices.
-Eric L. Thomas,
Religious Studies

Blues People: Negro Music in White America, by Amiri Baraka

Amiri Baraka (formerly Leroi Jones) writes about the place of jazz and blues in American social, musical, economic, and cultural history. From the music of African slaves in the United States through the music scene of the 1960's, Baraka traces the influence of “Black music” not only in the context of music and pop culture but also in terms of the values and perspectives passed on through the music. His work related to the values and perspectives passed on through the music is what gives this book an edge. He articulates the subtle rebellion of the marginalized when Blues was at a high point and how that rebellious attitude helped influence Black people’s strength perseverance, and appreciation for life.
-Rénard B. Harris,
Elementary Education
Early

Page 5

Dark Matters
The Newsletter of the African American Studies Program at
the College of Charleston

Volume 1, Issue 1

Where We Stand: Class Matters, by bell hooks

Here hooks deconstructs the notion that the United States is a classless society and urges us to openly grapple with the issues of classism. She roots her analysis in an examination of her personal life, reflecting on her journey across class lines from her childhood in a working-class, racially segregated community to her present life as a tenured professor and recognized intellectual. She demonstrates how the discussion of class in America is obscured by a greater emphasis on race and gender and illustrates the conservative effects of class within the ostensibly liberal feminist and antiracism movements. She points out the ways that mass media, consumerism, the housing market, and our educational system support class divisions while suppressing an open discussion of class inequality. The main message of hooks’ critique is that we all have an individual responsibility to address class inequities. Each person needs to examine his position in global class hierarchies and challenge the inequalities he finds around him through his actions; and we need to establish a true, functional solidarity with the poor and working classes by living more simply, sharing resources, and thus making more resources available to all.
-Steven K. Profit,
Addlestone Library

AAST Program Celebrates the 14th Annual
African American Read-In

Fall 2008 Book Series

Each fall the AAST Program will host a series of book discussions. Our goal is to provide the campus and the community with opportunities to meet and discuss African American history and culture. The books selections for Fall 2008 are:
Having it All: Black Women and Success, by Veronica Chambers
Soul City: A Novel, by Toure
Being A Black Man: At the Corner of Progress and Peril, by Kevin Merida
For more information on the dates and locations of the discussions , please visit the program website at www.cofc.edu/~aast or contact Dr. Conseula Francis at francisc@cofc.edu or (843) 953-7738.

AAST Events
The AAST program sponsored or co-sponsored several events during the 2007-2008 school year, including:
Spring Film Series
We screened three documentaries including Ethnic Notions, February One, and No! The Rape Documentary
Lecture by Mark Anthony Neal
Professor Neal, author of New Black Man, spoke about black male feminism, as part of the Women’s and Gender Studies program’s Black Guys/White Guys series
Lecture by Angela Davis
Legendary activist and scholar will lecture at the College of Charleston on April 14, 2008. See www.cofc.edu/~wgs for more details.

Page 8

Dark Matters
The Newsletter of the African American Studies Program at
the College of Charleston

Volume 1, Issue 1

Friends of African American Studies

Become a Friend! Support the research and scholarship about African American history and culture as well as the activities of the African American Studies Program at the College of Charleston. Please make checks payable to the
African American Studies Program.

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Office Address:
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Phone: 843-953-7738
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E-mail: francisc@cofc.edu
Website: http://www.cofc.edu/~aast

Not Just in February

Mailing Address:
26 Glebe St.
Charleston, SC 29401
Office Address:
65 Coming St., #208
Charleston, SC 29401

Phone: 843-953-7738
Fax: 843-953-3180
E-mail: francisc@cofc.edu
Website: http://www.cofc.edu/~aast

Mailing Address:
26 Glebe St.
Charleston, SC 29401
Office Address:
65 Coming St., #208
Charleston, SC 29401

Support the African American Studies Program
The African American Studies Program is growing. We invite you to join our efforts to promote the study and understanding of the culture, history, and language of African Americans.
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