Tag: African and African American Studies Department

Dr. Dwayne Mack appointed vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at Berea College

Last modified: May 5, 2020
Dr. Dwayne Mack

Dr. Dwayne Mack

Dr. Dwayne Mack was appointed vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at Berea College effective July 1. Dr. Mack has been with the College since 2003 and has taught American history, African American history and general studies. He currently serves as professor of history and the Carter G. Woodson Chair in African American history. He brings to the position a wealth of knowledge from research and scholarship on diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education, the civil rights movement, interracial education and the gendered past of Berea College. In this position, Mack also will be a member of the Administrative Committee.

“My approach to the vice president role is rooted in my longstanding commitment to collaborative leadership that cultivates diversity, equity and inclusion,” Mack said. “Ultimately, my work is driven by a commitment to social equality, with the aim of generating practices that have a practical impact. Creating a campus climate that is inclusive and diverse, and supports our Great Commitments and Climate Assessment Report will continue to be the most meaningful and rewarding work of my professional career. It is at the core of my research and praxis.”

Continue reading Dr. Dwayne Mack appointed vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at Berea College →

Berea College Professor Publishes Book Exploring New Facet of African American History

Last modified: May 15, 2018
Dwayne Mack

Dr. Dwayne Mack, Carter G. Woodson chair in African American History

Dwayne A. Mack, the Carter G. Woodson chair in African American History at Berea College, has collaborated on a newly published book Freedom’s Racial Frontier: African Americans in the Twentieth-Century West along with Herbert G. Ruffin II.

Between 1940 and 2010, the black population of the American West grew from 710,400 to 7 million. That growth has prompted a burgeoning interest in the history of the African American West—reflected in the remarkable range and depth of the works collected in Freedom’s Racial Frontier. Editors Ruffin  and Mack have gathered established and emerging scholars in the field to create an anthology linking past, current and future generations of African American West scholarship. Continue reading Berea College Professor Publishes Book Exploring New Facet of African American History →

Making an Impact with Black History

Last modified: May 21, 2018

This week we feature two African American staff/faculty members―Carl Thomas and Dr. Alicestyne Turley―whose work and personal influence is having a significant impact on Berea College students. Like others on campus and beyond, they are “investing in lives of great promise.” Continue reading Making an Impact with Black History →

Bereans Still Making Black History

Last modified: May 23, 2018

From Berea’s earliest days, African Americans have been central to the history of Berea College and the wider world. In this last installment of features for Black History Month 2016, we feature a diverse group of Berea College alumni who, each in their own way, continue to make Black History. Continue reading Bereans Still Making Black History →

The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia Features Berea

Last modified: May 23, 2018

Berea College has demonstrated its commitment to social and educational equality among the races since 1855, when it was founded and became the first interracial and coeducational college in the South. Now, three Berea College alumni, Jackie Burnside, Andrew Baskin, and Karen McDaniel, have been centrally involved in The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia, which is scheduled for publication later this month. Both Burnside and Baskin, who are members of the Berea College teaching faculty, wrote portions of the book and served on the advisory committee. McDaniel, who is Professor Emeritus at Kentucky State University and currently is a Visiting Scholar in African/African American Studies at Eastern Kentucky University, was an editor of the book, which prominently features Berea College. An article (see below) about The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia was published in the most recent issue of the Berea Citizen newspaper. Continue reading The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia Features Berea →

Linda Strong-Leek: An Indelible Passion for Teaching

Last modified: May 14, 2018

Originally posted on October 27, 2011 by Erica Cook ’13

 

“The students are the best thing about teaching at Berea College,” says Linda Strong-Leek, Ph.D., Berea College professor and administrator. “I love seeing those changes, those light bulb moments when a student gets it.” Continue reading Linda Strong-Leek: An Indelible Passion for Teaching →

Berea College Plans Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education

Last modified: July 23, 2018

Honoring Berea alumnus Carter G. Woodson, the “Father of Black History,” the Berea College board of trustees has approved the creation of the Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education that integrates the college’s Black Cultural Center and the African and African-American studies program. Continue reading Berea College Plans Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education →

Story of “The Clinton 12,” black teens who were first to integrate a public school in the South in 1956, told by members Bobby Cain and Gail Epps Upton and in award-winning documentary, at Berea College Jan. 18

Last modified: May 25, 2018

Cain and Upton will also be awarded Berea College President’s Medallion

Bobby Cain and Gail Epps Upton were among a group of 12 black teenagers who in the fall of 1956 integrated the first public high school in the South, in Clinton, Tennessee, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown vs. Board of Education that effectively ended legal racial segregation in the nation’s public schools. Cain and Upton will talk about the experience in conjunction with the showing of “The Clinton 12,” an award-winning documentary produced in 2007 about this dramatic and historic event that remained untold for 50 years. In 1957, Bobby Cain became the first African American male to graduate from an integrated public high school in the South, and a year later, Upton became the first female graduate of an integrated high school in Tennessee. In addition to their reflections on a segregated past, the two will also share their hopes for a reconciled future. Continue reading Story of “The Clinton 12,” black teens who were first to integrate a public school in the South in 1956, told by members Bobby Cain and Gail Epps Upton and in award-winning documentary, at Berea College Jan. 18 →