The growth and support of the Center for Africana Studies is yet another way OSU and CAS are helping to promote diversity and inclusion. It recently hired a new director in Erica TownsendBell, an associate professor of political science who has been at OSU since 2012. “I am concerned with and tend to support questions about equity and inclusion in all of my work,” Townsend-Bell said. “I thought it might be a role where I could advance that work and spread awareness, so that led me to throw my hat in the ring.” The center is a primary scholarly resource for the study of Africa and its Diaspora. It offers a minor in African Studies and provides students with scholarship and study abroad opportunities. It focuses on all aspects of the social, political, economic, religious and cultural developments and changes related to the African Diaspora, particularly as it relates to North America. “We are going to continue building on what it has been doing,” Townsend-Bell said. “We have the minor, and there is space to expand the accessibility of our teaching and create some community base. We can do that through noncredit offerings as well as potentially engaging in a certificate program that lets those who are interested in Africana studies secure some additional credentials. We will be growing our footprint on campus in terms of creating a headquarters for students and faculty to have a home.” The center is housed in 103 Life Sciences East on the Stillwater campus, where it will be expanding. It is also adding a second location on the OSU-Tulsa campus, which is in Tulsa’s Greenwood district. That is the site of the May 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. As you can read more about beginning on Page 12, OSU is memorializing that tragedy in various ways this year. “I’m excited to see a real interest and a lot of initiative to help OSU-Tulsa become a strong community partner and continue to speak to how to engage with communities,” Townsend-Bell said. “We should think about it historically and not remember it as only this place where this tragedy occurred. We need to think about how we engage in this contemporary community now, which includes OSU-Tulsa’s partnership with Langston, a historically Black college.” She added, “When nonprofits are thinking about partnering with someone on issues related to diversity or the Black experience, I want the center to be one of the entities they are constantly thinking of. We want to have the expertise to address broader initiatives, both within the community and the university. We want to really think through and create programming and opportunities to utilize the resources that already exist to expand the work in both Stillwater and Tulsa.” That said, the academic work is also very important. Townsend-Bell wants it to be a vibrant hub for research engagement. “We want a workshop for faculty and graduate students in particular to present and share their work,” Townsend-Bell said. “We want to continue the tradition of really wonderful speakers and create possibilities for routine research and symposia.” She describes this as an exciting time to be leading the Center for Africana Studies. CENTER FOR AFRICANA STUDIES SUPPORTS TOUGH QUESTIONS “When nonprofits are thinking about partnering with someone on issues related to diversity or the Black experience, I want the center to be one of the entities they are constantly thinking of.” Erica Townsend-Bell Director, Center for Africana Studies 10 CONNECT 2020
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